The Paths We Walk
by Tsurugi-Sama
Summary: An ancient power that makes the Kyubi quake in fear begins to awaken within Naruto, and leads Naruto to fulfill ancient legends in a story thousands of years in the making! NaruXOC light/dark, berserk Naruto; NaruOC
1. Prologue

**The Paths We Walk**

Prologue

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A hand slowly got up from beneath the blue bed cover and switched the clock off. The man lying in the bed, however, made no other motion than that other than opening his eyes. He stared at the wooden ceiling for a few minutes. He never did like to get up early. The sun was shining through the windows and reflecting off the wooden ceiling. He finally decided it was time to get up. He pulled the covers off his body and sat up.

He had blond hair that was spiky at the tips. It didn't have spikes on top because it fell down around his head. Two black bangs fell on the sides of his face, overshadowed by his golden blonde hair. It had spikes on the ends, slightly covering his shining blue eyes, with some spikes springing up in random places, and some hair falling around the rest of his head. He had three whisker marks on each cheek, making him look slightly foxy. He had slightly tanned skin and a body, while lacking an extreme build, that was nonetheless powerful and agile. He was wearing nothing but a pair of black boxers with orange spirals randomly placed over them. He looked over to the other half of the bed, and noticed that it was empty. Sighing, he decided to go find his wife.

He went to get changed in the closet, which was fifteen feet from the bed. He slid open the door and walked in. As he looked for suitable clothing, his eyes fell upon an old orange jumpsuit. He smiled slightly remembering his carefree years of innocence, before this whole war started. He continued looking, and then noticed his current shinobi garb. The black and orange battle suit made him remember of his duty. Years ago he said he'd never go back on his word. Boy, did he regret those words now.

His eyes landed on a blue shirt with a green leaf on the back and a pair of black pants. He pulled them off and put them on, not tucking in the shirt. He walked out of the closet and closed the door. He looked at the clock for the first time that morning, to find that it read 9:30. The man knew his wife wasn't on duty yet, so he knew where she was. She'd been going there a lot lately. He walked across the tatami mat to the sliding door across the room, opened it, and walked into the hall.

The hall was traditional, with some flowers in vases on small tables along the halls. 'She sure does have a thing for flowers.' he thought. Well, he couldn't complain; he liked plants too. He turned left and walked down the hall. After walking about thirty feet, he came to the stairs on his left, and walked down them. He stepped into the entrance of the house and looked down to where the weapons were. He didn't touch them for now, he had no need. He walked forward and sat down on the entrance step to put his black sandals on. Opening the door, he stepped out into the sun.

He walked past the Hyuuga clan house on his way to the secondary market, and past that was his destination. He didn't have to walk, but he felt it enjoyable to walk in the sunlight. The villagers he passed gave him looks. However, they were not the same looks as before when he was young. From those who were lucky and ignorant of catastrophe, he received greetings or smiles, or nothing by some as they went about their daily business. For the few who did know of what was coming, he only saw fear. Several people from far-away lands had come to push back the enemy, but even with all of them, it seemed hopeless. He continued to walk through the market until he came to a group of his closest friends.

The seventeen of them turned their heads to him and noticed his face. From the looks on their faces, they had been talking about a serious topic. They turned to him and he stopped. They came to him and greeted him in a less than cheery way. They did what they could to give him comfort, whether it in the form of a hug or a pat on the shoulder. Finally, the sand-wielding Kazekage Gaara gave him a one-armed hug and told him "she's in the training field, the usual one, but I'm sure you knew that, didn't you." he said knowingly. The man nodded and walked past them, waving a good-bye. He met up with several others he knew from various places, but then he met up with more of his oldest friends.

He was almost out of the market when he encountered a group of Jonin and a young child headed towards him. When they met up, they all gave him a greeting in their own way, each with a slightly sad look in their eyes. Finally, Kakashi went to him with the young boy and they hugged him, and Kakashi with Jiraiya told his former student to take care and enjoy himself. The boy just said "nii-san." Naruto gave a small smile and nodded, ruffling the boy's brown hair. Walking past them, he jumped into the forest and the training areas. The wind was blowing.

He was walking into one of the training areas, and felt the wind rustle his blond hair. He wanted nothing more to be free of this curse. He wondered why it had to be him. He was cursed since childhood, and yet even after everyone slowly saw him as human and a hero, he became forced to walk this path. Now, it was all coming to an end. Konoha would fall, along with everything else. All those years of training will have been for nothing after this.

Entering another training ground, he saw five friends who had become an extended family to him, along with his other friends, but these five were special. Together, they'd been to hell and back too many times to count on all their hands combined. They looked at him, and he at them, for several minutes in a comfortable silence. They were going through the same thing. Even if they weren't raised here, they still considered it a home. Finally, they went about their separate ways, each of them understood perfectly, and each to say what may be their good-by's. He continued on his way, and to each their own, and to his destination, where he knew she would be: the stone of the fallen shinobi.

There she was, in black ANBU attire, with the hood up and mask of a wolf behind her head. He walked past the old training posts to his wife, and she turned her head to greet him. She had deep blue eyes and hazel hair that shined in the sun. She had two bangs of light brown hair shining falling down the sides of her face in slight curves, but her hair wasn't curly. There was more a little above her eyebrows. She had the slightest tan on her skin, and a beautiful face, giving a backing to her name. He couldn't see her figure, but he knew what she was a beautiful woman.

"Hey, Michiko-chan" he said.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun" Michiko said.

Naruto gave a true smile to her. They never did outgrow those cute suffixes. He walked over to her, and she smiled at him. He took her hand and they stood there, looking at the memorial. They looked for names of loved ones and people they cared about, and thought about possible future names they never wanted added. Finally, after a half-hour of silence between the two, she looked at her watch and sighed. She had to report for duty.

"Naruto-kun, I have to report. I'll be back as soon as I'm done. You're not going to move from here, are you?" she asked, though she already knew her answer.

"No. I'll be waiting" he said, and kissed her for a few seconds. She smiled sadly and used shunshin no jutsu to vanish. Naruto just stood there, and looked at the stone. Fifteen minutes later, he felt a drop of water fall on him. He looked up as the rain got harder. The wind had blown clouds in. '_Typical'_ he thought. He just continued looking at the stone with sadness in his eyes.

'_You know, it is said people always use their last days alive thinking about their lives and enjoying it before they die.'_

He looked at one name in particular, the name of the Yondaime Hokage. No one knew his true fate at the time, and thus his name was carved in. Boy, the villagers were surprised to learn of the Yondaime's living state, and were even more surprised to learn of his connection with Naruto, and what he'd left for them.

'_I chose to walk this path, and I have no one to blame but myself. Please, let me tell you of my journey. I doubt I'll get another chance to speak. The joy and pain, I'll tell you everything you'd ever want to know.'_

**Notes**

Well, one down, countless more to go. I've got a lot to explain, so let me elaborate on some things

Suffixes

San- basically addressing someone of equal status, Mr. or Ms.

Kun- A way of referring to close males, can be used for male friends or boyfriends.

Chan- A way of referring to young children or close female companions or girlfriends

Sama- Referring to someone with the utmost respect.

Sensei- Referring to a teacher, and is also used in public, though it is sometimes used for superiors.

These are the main suffixes I will use. If I use any others, I'll define them. I may not always use suffixes.

Michiko, by the way, means beautiful wise child, which is why I said there is a backing to her name.

You'll find out about the man he has to fight later in the story, and also about the six men who are like a close family with him.

If anything confuses you, pay attention to the story. I put parts in that would describe the situation subtly, like the one where he said he hates mornings, but got up around 9:30, I put that there to show that now isn't a good time for him, because even then, he had trouble getting out of bed. If you got a feeling of sadness and worry coming from this chapter, then I did my job right. I try to leave nothing to waste.

This is my first fic, so cut me some slack. I will make more, so look at them too. I got some good, original ideas that haven't been done before. Look for them, I promise you won't regret it.

If you wanna flame, go ahead. If you like it, give a review. I like people to judge my work, but please respect this: I got the whole fic planned out in my head, so don't just give ideas, because they'll fall on deaf ears. This is gonna be good, so just watch my vision come to the net. If you have questions, go ahead and ask. I'll answer every question in these notes at the end of every chapter.

This is gonna be a naruXoc but don't worry even if you don't like the pairing you'll love the story, I guarantee it. Just give it a chance.

One more thing: I'll try not to leave notes this long again.

Well, that's it. R&R

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


	2. The Beginning

**The Paths We Walk**

The Beginning

"_To begin, I suppose I should let you all know a bit about my childhood. It was never easy. The villagers would always give me cold stares, and I could never understand why. I never told anyone, and I always had a happy grin on, but when I was young, I hated everyone. No one ever cared, and people would call me a beast and monster, and I didn't know why. Eventually, I tried to change this and pulled pranks for attention, instead of focusing on my studies. I was always smiling, but when no one was looking, my eyes held no joy and were full of pain. Then, one day, everything changed."_

"_I'd just painted the faces of past Hokages, and was being lectured by Iruka-sensei. I decided to give him a treat, and used my oiroke no jutsu as another prank. Later, he forced me to clean the monument, and I was angry because of it, and shouted out it didn't matter, because no one was expecting me at home. This probably struck him, because he was an orphan too. Afterwards, he took me to Ichiraku Ramen, and he treated me like a normal person. It was one of the first times"_

"_The next day was the graduation test, and I failed miserably at the bunshin no jutsu, and Iruka-sensei failed me, I felt alone again. I watched the graduates with their parents, and was in even more pain. They were congratulating them, and I even overheard some calling me a monster again. Then, Mizuki came and gave me what I took as comfort, and told me a way I could pass; steal the forbidden scroll and learn the techniques. I didn't know it was a trap."_

"_I stole it, and for a few hours I only practiced the first one, kage bunshin no jutsu. Finally, I mastered it and was on the ground panting from the training. Iruka-sensei found me, and I told him about the technique, and how he had to pass me. He looked off into space for a second, thinking, and then pushed me away. While I was in the air, he was hit by half a dozen kunai knives, originally for me. There, in the tree stood Mizuki. He had his head-bandana on and two giant shurikens on his back. He probably planned to finish me off fast and run with the scroll while Iruka-sensei was confused."_

"_Then, I learned everything. The kyubi was inside me. I couldn't believe it. Mizuki followed it by saying no one cared if I died, and I was angry, and sad, and I wanted revenge. When I tried to run, Mizuki threw a shuriken at me, but Iruka-sensei took the hit for me. He told me I deserved better, especially from him, a fellow orphan. When he finished, I got up and ran as fast as I could. I heard Iruka-sensei call my name, and nothing more."_

"_I hid behind a tree and heard Iruka-sensei and Mizuki talk about me. I thought Iruka-sensei hated me, but he said he hated the fox, not me, and that I could be strong, and was. I cried tears of happiness. Someone cared…and I swore to myself I'd protect him. Just as Mizuki was about to finish him off, I leapt out and kneed him, and told him I'd kill him if he tried. He told me to try, and man, did I try. I used the kage bunshin no jutsu to create a thousand clones, flesh-and-blood. I beat Mizuki, who I swear wet his pants, into a bloody pile on the ground. Iruka-sensei was so impressed he gave me his headband, saying I graduated. I gave my first hug that day, and received my first too."_

"_Later, I met a kid named Konohamaru. He was a good kid, but a little cocky with his skills. He wanted me to teach him the oiroke no jutsu, and I did. I got hit a lot from women due to his lousy performance, and him being the third's grandson and all. Later, we sat and ate, and he told me he wanted to be Hokage real bad. I couldn't believe it. I lectured him that wanting isn't everything, and he'd have to work for it. There were no shortcuts. After meeting his sensei, Ebisu, the kid got the jutsu right, but it didn't work, and I had to use harem no jutsu to beat him. Konohamaru whined about how he couldn't even beat him, and how badly he wanted to be Hokage and how he wanted people to know his name. I told him there were no shortcuts, and he became a good friend. Now, I had two people who believed in me. Man, I was good."_

"_The next day, I went to the academy and waited for them to announce my future. Shikamaru came up to me and berated me on how I shouldn't be here. Odd, coming from such a lazy guy. I told him to look at the headband, and claimed I had a right to be here. Sakura-chan, who had long pink hair and green eyes, and a red dress with green shorts, came in next, and when I greeted her, she pushed me out of the way to get to Sasuke. I always wondered why he was so special, so I went right up to his face and we glared at each other, with a rivalry clearly forming. What was so special about him, he just had black hair with eyes to match. Sure he was an Uchina, the blue shirt with the fan symbol on the back proved it, but he seemed to think he was better than everyone! WHAT A JERK! Anyway, some guy I don't know or care about, but will kill one day, shoved me in the back accidentally and made us kiss! MY MOUTH WAS RUINED! AND EVERY GIRL IN CLASS…Hinata excluded…BEAT ME TO A PULP…until Iruka-sensei came in, and saved the day!"_

"_While I recovered at my seat, he announced my team. I was on team 7, with Sakura (I jumped in happiness while she sulked), and finally Sasuke (I sulked while SHE jumped in joy). Ino wasn't happy; she was with Shikamaru (lazy idiot), and his best friend Choji (fat idiot). Hinata didn't seem too happy either; she was with Kiba (Bragging idiot), and Shino (…idiot?). I tried to know Sakura better, but I got to know Sasuke better from her…and then there was the fact that I hog-tied him…and she said I was annoying. I tried to get her to hate Sasuke, but I got a bad case of the runs! Life sucks sometimes."_

"_After lunch, when everyone else had met their Jonin instructors, we were left high and dry! Ours was the only one late. I decided payback was in order, and so I put an eraser in the crack of the door. Sakura lectured me how it wouldn't work, and Sasuke just gave me a little smirk. Moments later, our silver-haired sensei came through, and fell for it! None of us could believe it actually worked. He wore deep blue shinobi clothing with spirals near the shoulders and a Jonin vest. He also had a mask over his mouth and his headband was covering his left eye, making his spiky hair lean to the side. His first impression of us was simple: he hated us."_

"_He took us to the top of the academy and made us introduce ourselves. He went first, not telling us about what he likes and doesn't, he hasn't thought about his dreams, has lots of hobbies, and is Hatake Kakashi. Pretty useless explanation, I thought. He just told us his name. I went next, saying I love ramen, have Sasuke, I love jokes and pranks, and that I was gonna be the greatest Hokage ever! Sakura went next, saying she loved (looks as Sasuke)…her hobbies were (looks as Sasuke)…her dream was (looks as Sasuke, blushes like mad)…and…she hated me. Hearing this, I face-faulted. Finally, Sasuke went, and he said he hates a lot, likes almost nothing, and had an ambition, not a dream, to revive his clan and kill a certain someone. I was praying it wasn't me. I personally though his hobbies included plotting sadistic ways of torturing this person. HAHAHA!"_

"_Kakashi-sensei had had enough greetings and decided to tell them of a test. 'What test?' we all thought. It turned out the Genin exam just eliminated hopeless cases, meaning I was hopeless twice before. He said we wouldn't like the next survival exam, but we demanded he tell us. It turned out only 9 of the 27 graduates would become shinobi, meaning 66 would fail. Man, we were worried. I was gaping. He told us to meet tomorrow, at training field 7, and not to eat breakfast, unless we wanted to throw up."_

"_We arrived at 7:00, just like he said, and then had a nice 3-hour nap until he showed up. He said he had a black cat cross his path. He set an alarm on a clock he brought and took out two bells, saying if we couldn't get a bell by lunch, they'd starve. We soon learned why he told us not to eat. He also added that we'd go back to the academy if we didn't get a bell. This meant that one person would fail no matter what. He said we should aim to kill to get a bell, or we'd fail for sure. I said if he couldn't even dodge the eraser, he'd be killed. He said only the weak speak loudly, and the others should ignore him. That hit a nerve, and I pulled out a kunai and ran at him. He moved so fast, it was over before it started. He had my kunai, still in my hand, pointed at my neck. He told me to be patient. But, he also said that I struck to kill, and he was starting to like us. With that, we took action."_

"_Long story short, we failed, bad. I tried to sneak lunch for myself, and he caught me and tied me to the post, and I was the only one who was tied, even though they failed too. Kakashi-sensei said we could never be shinobi with how we acted. Sasuke got mad, and charged him, but wound up under him. Kakashi told us we missed the point of the exercise entirely. When we asked, he looked at us with anger, as if it was the easiest thing in the world. It was teamwork. It hit us like a brick. He also said that there were two bells because he had to see which would put aside their personal goals for the team. He showed us what acting alone would do by threatening to kill Sasuke if Sakura didn't kill Naruto. It was an example only, but it nearly made me shit myself. He told us to look at the stone, and the names on it; they were heroes. I said I wanted my name on that, but Kakashi said they were dead heroes. Shut me up. Some of them were his closest friends. There was silence for a minute, then he ordered us to listen, because we were being given another chance, and we should eat first, but they couldn't share with me, because I tried to steal lunch, so I had to go hungry. He told us his word is law, and left."_

"_It was torture, watching them eat in front of me. Surprisingly, Sasuke looked at me with a bit of pity and shared his lunch. Sakura followed, both of them saying they had to support their teammates so we could work as a team. I smiled and took some food they fed me. As soon as I swallowed, Kakashi showed up, asking if we were ready for the punishment. We said he told us to work as a team, so we did. We were shocked at what he did next: he passed us. He said we just took a giant step. We learned to look for the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings. Ninjas who don't follow rules are shit, but those who don't support their friends and comrades, are worse than shit. He was pretty cool, saying that. He told us our first mission was tomorrow, and told us to go home. They left me yelling at the post. Damn! It took me forever to escape!"_

"_After several days of D-rank missions, our group was getting bored. Our latest mission involved retrieving a cat. I went to the Hokage and demanded a better mission. Though Iruka-sensei said we weren't ready, the Hokage agreed to send us on a C-rank mission. We were to protect a man named Tazuna as he built a bridge in wave country, his home. He came through a door, drinking a bottle of sake, with grey/blue clothing and a straw hat and glasses. He looked at our team and laughed. He didn't trust us, but Kakashi assured him they were capable. As we left, we learned of the various other shinobi nations, and that where this man was from had no shinobi village."_

"_Soon after we left, we were attacked by Mist village Chunin, and they ripped Kakashi to shreds. I was paralyzed with fear, but Sasuke managed to sever their chain and defend Tazuna, and even Sakura acted bravely. Kakashi turned out to have survived and used the Kawarimi no jutsu to save himself, having realized their presence long before the fight. It became obvious Tazuna lied and this was at least an A-rank mission, especially with Gato behind it. Kakashi congratulated Sakura and Sasuke on a job well done, and just apologized for not saving me. I got angry, and when I realized the claws were poisoned, I stabbed my cut hand with a kunai to drain the poison, promising never to run again. I held to that, and I still do."_

"_Later, we were attacked by Zabuza Momochi. He was a Jonin-ranked nukenin. I tried to fight, but Kakashi-sensei just said to defend Tazuna while he used the Sharingan eye in his left eye to fight. The sharingan can see through illusions and copy jutsus. Sasuke looked at Kakashi in wonder. The fight between the two wound up with Kakashi trapped in Zabuza's Suiro no jutsu. I thought of running, but then looked at my hand, and remembered my vow. I decided we had to rescue Kakashi-sensei, so I got a plan ready using the kage shuriken no jutsu. It worked, and Kakashi-sensei defeated Zabuza, only to be taken away by a boy disguised as a shinobi hunter. Kakashi was weak after the fight, and had to spend a week recovering."_

"_During the recovery time, we spent time climbing trees as an exercise. The only rule was no hands were allowed. We had to use charka to cling to the trees. This was supposed to better our charka control. I got nowhere the first few times. Sasuke made a good climb…regrettably, but Sakura got to the top on the first try! I eventually asked her for help, and it paid off, and by the end of the week, I was on par with Sasuke on the exercise! We both made it to the top the night before Kakashi was healed. Our rivalry and friendship began to spark from that one week of training."_

"_Through the week, I also got to know the story of Tsunami, Tazuna, and Inari. They once had a man live with them who was a hero, but Gato killed him to break the people. That broke Inari and made him to meet with my team, only to return upon seeing signs that Tsunami and Inari were in danger. I noticed Inari trying to save his mom, and it was courageous; I must have rubbed off on him. I rescued him and his mom and took out the samurai thugs. I gave Inari a congratulatory grin and told him he was strong, and he grinned just as wide. I left him there with his mom to go and help my friends, because if the family was in danger, the bridge must be worse."_

"_I was right. Zabuza was back, and the actor, Haku, was fighting Sasuke. I got a shuriken to his mask, knocking him down. I went into the mirrors to try to help Sasuke, but he yelled at me. Now, I understand why. We stood no chance in there. Haku filled us with needles and turned us into pin cushions. Eventually, I passed out. The next thing I saw when I woke up was Haku on the floor and Sasuke above me, calling me a nuisance. Then, I saw the needles all over his body and in his neck. He was dying. He gave me a small smile, and called me a dope as he fell, only to be caught by me. He told me he thought an oath to kill the man would keep him going, but it didn't. With the last of his strength, he told me not to die. I knew at that point that we were friends, though neither of us would admit it, for fear of looking soft. I was mad, no, I was enraged, and I swore to kill that boy."_

"_I could feel the charka coursing through me, with intense power. I knew it was kyubi's charka, but I also felt something else, something deadlier than kyubi inside me. The kyubi was evil, but this other power was…insidious. I went on a blind rage, the kyubi and the other power altering me. My left eye became red with a black slit, but my right eye was just pure red, and nothing else, not even white; my hair unruly, turning silver. My nails became claws, my skin paled, and my whiskers grew, as did my strength and speed. I looked in the mirror, at the boy, and saw myself. I went crazy, crashing his demonic ice mirrors and I caught him and punched him through the mirror itself, causing blood to spew on the ground. He tumbled, and stood up slowly. The mirrors slowly fell apart, with me in the middle, eyes glowing. I charged at him, and almost punched him, hand his mask not fallen apart."_

"_It was a boy I'd met earlier. I calmed slightly, then remembered he killed Sasuke, and hit him, but with less strength than before. The transformation had ended, and I was back to normal. He said I could never kill him with that strength. He then told me of his kind parents, and how his father had killed his mother and tried to kill him when he found out about their bloodlines. He asked me to kill him, because he was useless, and it was my duty as a shinobi. We knew if we met somewhere else, they would've been friends. Just as I was about to kill him, he teleported away, and I next saw him blocking Zabuza, with Kakashi-sensei's arm through his chest; he was smiling. After that, Kakashi-sensei managed to beat Zabuza by disabling both his arms, and Sasuke was alright. Haku never tried to kill him. He just disabled him. He gave me a smirk and a wave, and I felt a tear drop. Everyone was alive and we won…so we thought."_

"_Gato came with thugs, saying he didn't need to pay Zabuza now, and they would all die. I asked about Haku and if Zabuza even cared, and brought the demon to tears with my words. He asked to borrow my kunai, which I gave him, and he grabbed it in his mouth, and charged at the men. He ran through, killing about a dozen of them, while being impaled by half-a-dozen weapons, and slicing off Gato's head, sending him to hell. He truly was a demon. However, the thugs began saying they should overrun the town, but then the townspeople showed up, led by Inari, and with Kakashi-sensei's fake Kage Bunshin's, they ran for the hills. Zabuza asked Kakashi-sensei if he could go to Haku, which Kakashi granted. When Zabuza was there, he apologized, and said he wished they could go to the same place, and he died. It started to snow, just like it had in Haku's village. Kakashi-sensei said they could go together to that place, if he wanted."_

"_A week later, before we left, there were two graves, one with a shattered mask over it and the other with a giant knife behind the grave. I asked if they were fight about what it meant to be a shinobi, but Kakashi-sensei said no, but the idea was always there. That day, I decided that I'd follow my own nindo and make my own destiny. Before we left, me and Inari were on the verge of crying. I almost broke, but I held back just long enough. We all waved our good-byes and the four of us began walking home along the newly-formed bridge. I asked Sakura-chan out on a date, but she turned me down after she was turned down by Sasuke. Kakashi was just laughing at our childish game of courtship. I later said I'd go to Iruka-sensei and tell him of my adventure. I didn't' find out then, but shortly after we got back, I learned that Tazuna and his family had named the bridge after me; The Great Naruto Bridge, and they hoped it would obtain my strength, and last forever. I was honored, and shed a tear in happiness. I was gaining the trust and recognition of so many people, and I was growing. It only strengthened my resolve to become hokage. One day, I knew I'd be sitting in that tower."_

"_Soon after we got back, me and the Konohamaru Corps, who wore goggles like my old pair, were being chased by an enraged Sakura (long story, and not relevant to my history), we ran into some sunanin. They threatened to kill us, but Sasuke hit the guy with face paint in the head with a stone. I nearly lost the respect of Konohamaru that day. Before a fight could break out, a creepy kid hanging upside down next to Sasuke, who snuck up there, said to stop. He had red hair and black rims around his eyes, and a large gourd on his back, with black clothing. He had a killing stare that you couldn't meet. The other two were shaking in fear, saying they'd stop. He got down from the tree, but not before asking for the name of Sasuke. The guy said his name was Sabaku no Gaara. The trio turned away, and I felt left out. They hadn't even asked my name. They had, however, said something about being here for the chunin exams, and me and Konohamaru were discussing it."_

"_Me and my team would attend the Chunin exams, but I had no idea where the Chunin exams would take me. This is where my true story begins._

Next Time: The first Exam; New Unstable Power!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of the other things I'm going to use in this story, but I wish I did. This goes for the prologue as well. I do own, however, Michiko and all other OC's.

**Notes**

Sorry guys, but this chapter had to be put in. it explains what is going on for people who never watched the anime or read the manga. Also, the fight with Haku gives away a little of what Naruto's hidden power is, and it is eviler than the fox. Just wait to find out. I've got a lot planned for this. The next chapter should be up around the 5th or 6th of July. Sorry, but the next chapter should be fairly long, and will give a little more about Naruto's new power. By the way, it's not a bloodline, well…sorta. Sorry about the cliffhanger. Don't worry, there won't be another boring & quick chapter like this, the rest will be in a third-person point of view, with the occasional comment by the future Naruto, and they will be more detailed about Naruto's story.

Oiroke no Jutsu-Sexy Technique

Bunshin no Jutsu-Clone Technique

Kage Bunshin No Jutsu- Shadow Clone Technique

Harem no Jutsu-Ninja Harem

Kawarimi no Jutsu-Body Replacement Technique

Kage Shuriken no Jutsu-Shadow Shuriken no Jutsu

Suito no Jutsu-Water Prison Technique

Nindo-Way of the Ninja

Okay, that's about all the techniques, I think.

Thanks for the Reviews! I never expected to get four reviews within a few hours of posting. I wrote this chapter, and it took me a few hours to get it right. Well, let me respond to any questions.

Thank you **ummyea** and **Angel of Forgotten Souls** for your encouragement and comments.

Thank you **Vegeta the 3rd **for reviewing and yes, there will be plenty on Naruto's and Michiko's relationship, and she's coming in at the next chapter, along with her team.

Thank you **got-ramen **for reviewing and to end your confusion the prologue was to set up questions early so that they can be answered later in the story, and it will be a long story, but I've spread them out, and more will arise, including some interesting characters and developments, and a lot will later be about Naruto and his relation with the Yondaime.

Well, that's it. Drop a review.

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


	3. The First Exam: New Unstable Power!

**The Paths We Walk**

The First exam; New unstable Power!

"WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN! Tell me, are we just gonna stand here and let him get away with this! Whenever sensei tells us to meet somewhere, we show up on time, and sometimes early! Yet he always shows up late! ALWAYS! Why don't we do something about it for once!" Sakura shouted loud enough for rock village to hear.

"You're right. Say it loud, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered.

"Look at me! First, I overslept, and then I didn't even get time to properly manage my hair today! And now, we've been waiting here an hour and a half, and he's still not here!" she shouted; with hair clearly improperly treated.

"Yeah, you're so right! I overslept too, and then I couldn't even brush my teeth or wash my face, or even shower before I left!" Naruto said, trying to impress Sakura. It failed miserably.

"Ewwwwwwwwww! Gross, Naruto!" Sakura said to his face from a distance, careful not to get too close to the dirty boy. Naruto just scratched the back of his head nervously with a "heh…uhhhh…", after knowing he failed in his attempt.

Sasuke was just leaning on the other side of the bridge where they met every day, growling in annoyance at the idiocy of his teammates. 'Why do they always wake up feeling so dramatic!' Sasuke yelled in his head. His patience with his two comrades was seriously wearing thin.

At that moment, Kakashi landed on a roof near the bridge entrance, giving a cheery greeting and the daily lame excuse. "Good morning, everyone."

Naruto and Sakura did their daily yell in unison. "You're Late!"

Kakashi just kept smiling under his mask and answered "Well…Today I got lost on the road of life."

"Liar!" They yelled in unison. "Jeez, can't you at least pretend to be sorry, or better yet, let us be late too?" Sasuke just stood there, looking at their instructor expectively.

Kakashi hopped down, turning serious, but keeping his lazy expression on, with the slight slouch and the half-open eye. "This may shock you guys, but I've recommended you three for the Chunin exams. If you pass, you become Chunin."

"Huh?" "Wah!" "…" All three of them said, each of them with their own response.

Sasuke just closed his eyes and turned away, clearly not believing it. Sakura was about to explode, thinking he was lying. Naruto was the only one to speak "Good one, Kakashi-sensei. You almost caught us. That wasn't funny, ya know."

"You three have to fill out applications if you want to apply." Kakashi said as he held out three exam forms.

"Kakashi-sensei, I LOVE YOU!" Naruto yelled as he clung onto Kakashi in joy, refusing to let go. Kakashi was blushing, and saying thing like "Get off." "You're embarrassing me." The other two just stared. He finally got Naruto off him, and resumed his explanation.

"Just so you know, if you don't wish to participate, the exam is completely voluntary. It's up to you. So, if you want to chicken out, go ahead. You don't have to go through with it. But, in the event you do, go ahead and report to room 301 at the Ninja Academy tomorrow by 4:00 P.M. tomorrow. That's all." Kakashi said as he jumped onto a nearby roof, then turned again. "Oh, and just so you know, you _better_ be on time. These ninja don't take kindly to being late, like I am. Got in trouble a few times for that…just a few…" He said, and then used shunshin no jutsu to disappear.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura began walking back to their homes along the same path, each with an exam form in hand. Naruto was drooling over his, like it was a dream come true. Sasuke already had his in his pocket. Sakura was looking at hers uncertainly.

Naruto was thinking about how me may get to fight that guy with the face paint, and even…Sasuke. They locked eyes for a moment in a glare. 'If I could win something like this, becoming Hokage would be smooth as silk. I'd be Hokage for sure! The old man would retire, and I'd take his place as the best ninja in the land! No one's gonna beat me, I swear it!' Naruto thought as he though about holding the trophy in first, and Sasuke in second, moping about how he lost to the 'dope', and the day he'd replacing the old-man Hokage.

Sasuke was just walking in silence, but was secretly thinking about how he'd be able to fight the spook with no eyebrows. It was obvious that he was thinking about, with him wearing a smile and shaking with excitement. He gave a smirk and a satisfied "hmph" and continued walking.

Sakura, on the otherhand, was obviously worried. She was lagging behind, barely keeping up. Eventually, she just stopped. 'Forget Sasuke-kun, I'm not even at Naruto's level anymore. This would be too much for me. Maybe I should forget about it…"

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"_When I was preparing for the exams that night, I was happy and fell asleep with a huge grin, and fantasies of glamour. I wasn't thinking about the death, pain, or sadistic torture that would take place, or the fact that I could be causing it. I really wasn't thinking about the things I would do, and what sins I would commit, and how I could change."_

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

The next day, Sasuke and Sakura were already waiting outside the academy. There were several others, stretching and warming up. Naruto came running at them, yelling a loud greeting to Sakura, and immediately asking where to sign his name, which caused Sakura to question his intelligence, again. Sasuke noticed that Sakura was worried about something, but he didn't question it.

The three immediately proceeded to the third floor where the exam was to be held, and went to room 301, and noticed a crowd around the door, with two boys blocking it, and another with a green spandex suit, bowl-cut black hair, a red Konoha forehead protector around his waist, and big bushy eyebrows. He was on the floor, with a bruise on his cheek. The boys guarding the door began to speak.

"You plan on taking the Chunin exams? If that's all you got, then just quit now and save yourself the embarrassment. '_snort'_" Said one with large spiky hair and bandages forming an X on his face.

"You said it." said his friend with the Konoha headbandana.

A girl with a pink Chinese shirt, deep navy blue baggy pants, and brunette hair in two buns on each side of her head spoke up "Please…you have to let us in for the exams." She walked up to them, but immediately got slapped across the face. There were murmurs of how cruel they were among the crowd."

"Get real. You just don't understand where we're coming from. We're trying to save you. Do you have any idea what goes on in the Chunin exams? I didn't think so 'snort'. The exam is incredibly difficult. Trust us , we've failed three so far. Some people made it, but immediately gave up being shinobi from the difficulty of the level. Some were reduced to vegetables from the exams, too crippled to move, or just overwhelmed, and some are six feet under, we've seen it all. Besides that, Chunin are squad leaders, commanders, in charge of leading their units, and the lives of their men. They're the ones responsible for dead shinobi, and anything that goes wrong with the mission. Yet, you punks have the nerve to actually apply! HAHAHAHAHAHA! We're just giving the examiners a hand by weeding out the obvious losers beforehand. '_snort_'".

Sasuke decided to make himself known "That's a good idea, but you better let us through. Oh, and while you're at it, drop the genjutsu you've got up. We've got business on the third floor." People started to ask each other what he was talking about, but no one understood what he meant by that.

"So…you got it?" the bandana-wearing ninja asked.

Sasuke just smirked, and turned to Sakura. "It was easy, right Sakura? You're the most analytical on out squad; you were probably the first to notice, since you understand genjutsus better than the rest of us."

Sakura was visibly blushing at his comment, and looked down to hide it. Regaining her composure, she smirked and looked up "Of course I saw it. It's obvious we're still on the second floor."

Naruto responded with a "duh!" and with that, the sign warped, loosing the genjutsu, and changed from 301 back to 201.

Sasuke looked at them and smirked "If Naruto saw through it, then you're pretty bad at genjutsu, and this batch of genin are a bunch of losers." This caused a lot of insults to be thrown back at him like "shut up pretty boy!" "Can it!" and a finger from Naruto.

The snorting one guarding the door responded "Hey, pretty good, but seeing through that alone isn't…enough!" with that, he ran towards Sasuke and placed his hands on the ground, with a kick aimed at his torso. Sasuke responded with a kick of his own, but both were grabbed by the attacking leg by a green blur, who turned out to be the eyebrow kid in green.

'He's fast, and predicted both attacks before they met, and managed to plant himself at the meeting area of the kicks and grab them, and in the blink of an eye!' Sakura thought, amazed.

'He blocked my kick, no, grabbed my kick with a single arm. He's completely different from the boy getting beat up a minute ago.' Sasuke thought. The other attacker just slumped to the ground.

'Whoa! The bushy browed kid's good!' was all Naruto thought.

A boy with deep blue-near black shorts and a slightly tan shirt with short sleeves and a long neck came up, staring at his teammate with near-white eyes, with a hint of violet. His hair was long and brown, tied together at the end at the back of his head. His forehead protector had a strap on each side of his forehead protector. "Stop showing off. That's not what we agreed. Wasn't it you who said we should avoid drawing attention to ourselves?"

The eyebrow boy said "Yeah…b-but…"

The bun-haired girl silenced them "Look, it's over. Just forget it." The eyebrow boy started staring at Sakura. Sasuke noticed something. 'His bruises are gone already? Who is he?'

The boy looked determined, and walked up to Sakura. "Hi, I'm Rock Lee. Yours is Sakura, right?" Lee went into a good-guy pose giving a thumbs up and winking, with a gleam to his teeth. "Would you go out with me? I promise I'll protect you with my life!"

Sakura just stared at him with a blank face. "Nooo…way…you are way out of hand."

Lee gave out a disappointed moan, and slumped, with Naruto getting a laugh out of the whole thing in the background.

The white-eyed boy walked up to Sasuke, and began speaking to him. "Hey, you! What's your name?"

Naruto was in the background with fire of rage in his eyes asking himself 'WHY IS IT ALWAYS SASUKE!'

Sasuke simply replied "It's common courtesy to give your name first before asking someone for theirs."

"You're a rookie, right? How old?"

"I don't have to tell you a thing" With that, the two turned around and walked off. 'This exam is turning into a real freak show. I can't wait to see what happens next.'

The bun-haired girl blushed at Sasuke. 'Cute, and cool. Not a single scratch.'

The two kids guarding the door went behind it and cancelled their henge no jutsu and reverted back to their grey uniforms and their adult forms. "Sooo…those are Kakashi and Gui's precious brats, eh?" "Yeah. This exam is gonna be fun…for us proctors at least. Heh. '_snort'._"

Sakura began leading the others away, humming a tune, with a down Naruto and a passive Sasuke, complaining about her pulling him, never noticing them being followed. Just as they were about to go onto the third floor, Lee was waiting for them on the floor above.

"Hey, you with the glare, come here!"

The three reacted in their own way "…" "EEP!" "What is it?"

"Wanna fight?"

"…you mean right here, right now?"

"Precisely." With that, Lee hopped down the railing and onto the wooden floor.

"I already know your name, Uchiha Sasuke. I'm Rock Lee! I'm calling you out!"

"So…you knew who I was all along?"

"Yes. I want to test my techniques on you…the last surviving clan member of the legendary Uchiha clan. Besides…" Lee looked at Sakura, who flinched in fear. He looked at Sakura, and gave a wink.

Sakura screamed "AAAAAAH! NO WAY! THEY MOVED! THE EYEBROWS MOVED!" She began trembling "And I'm just getting started, that geeky haircut, and the suit…GAH!"

Lee blushed "You are such an angel. I shall win your heart!" With that, Lee blew a kiss at Sakura, which she just barely dodged.

"Don't you ever do that again, you got that!" She yelled.

Meanwhile, while everyone else conversed about fighting and romance, Naruto was fuming in the corner. 'It's always Sasuke, Sasuke, SASUKE! I'm gonna puke if I hear his name again!'

Sasuke smirked and decided to insult the dorky kid "So, you wanna fight me even though you know about my lineage? You really are a fool." Sasuke assumed a fighter stance. "So, you really wanna know…what it's like to fight an Uchiha, huh?"

"Precisely." Lee said, and began thinking about what he'd do 'I can't wait! I'm going head-to-head with the rookie cream of the crop right off the bat! What luck! Now, I'll show Gui-sensei that I am a great shinobi!'

"Hold it!" Naruto yelled. Everyone turned to see him in a battle stance "Let me take bushy-brows. He's dead, just give me five minu-"

"I have no interest in fighting you. My fight is with Uchiha. You are not involved"

"Story of my life. 'Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke!' I've had so much I could puke!" Naruto yelled as he snapped and charged at Lee.

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"_I was pretty upset that he wanted to fight Sasuke, but what was I supposed to do? With everyone worshiping Sasuke and ignoring me, I had to try to make myself known."_

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Just as Naruto had reached Lee and thrown his punch, Lee knocked down Naruto's fist, causing him to fall on his hand. He gritted his teeth in anger, and tried a kick to the head, but Lee beat him to it.

"Konoha Reppu!" kicking Naruto off his feet, and causing him to spin uncontrollably into the wall with such force that there were cracks in the wall where Naruto was. He was upside down, and barely conscious, and incredibly dizzy.

"Remember this, no one will beat me." With that, he turned back to Sasuke.

"I am the strongest genin in all of Konoha, I suggest you remember that."

Sasuke began seriously considering his challenge 'this could be fun after all' "Very well, I accept. Let's begin." With that, Sasuke dropped back into his stance.

Sakura looked at the clock, and got worried. "Sasuke-kun, we've got less than a half-hour to turn in our applications!"

"Don't worry, Sakura. This'll take five minutes." Sasuke said, and with that, charged at Lee.

'Here we go. I'm sorry, Gui-sensei, but I may have to use…_that _technique.'

Sasuke tried to throw a punch, but lee merely shuffled out of the way. He followed with a kick, but Lee weaved under to the left effortlessly, spinning on the ground below it. Using that momentum, he brought his right leg into a kick, which Sasuke tried to block, but the kick went right past his arms in guard and kicked him in the head, and kicked him across the room by at least five meters.

'How'd he get under my guard? What is this, taijutsu, or a genjutsu? …It has to be a genjutsu. He got past my guard, and seemed to phase through it.' Sasuke thought as he got back up. 'Well…this is good. Now, I have an excuse to practice with…it.'

"Back for more, huh? I expected as much from an Uchiha."

Sakura watched as Sasuke got back up, and noticed his eyes. 'W-what? That's the…The Sharingan! But…in both eyes? But how? When?'

Lee noticed, too. 'So that's the famous Sharingan of the Uchiha, eh?' Lee began to fidget with excitement of proving himself.

As Sasuke charged at Lee, Sharingan activated, Sakura began to admire Sasuke again. 'Sasuke-kun's the best! If this is the same as Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan, then Sasuke-kun can see right through the illusion. Eyebrows-boy doesn't stand a chance! Genjutsu…Ninjutsu…Taijutsu…he can see it all, and copy it, and parry it with a counter. There's a magic at work here, and he'll see it. Sasuke-kun just keeps getting stronger and stronger, there's no stopping him! It must be his blood! There's no way that dork could beat Sasuke-kun!' Her world came crashing down as Lee kicked Sasuke in the chin, sending him flying face-first into the air. 'WHAT!'

Sasuke was flying through the air, and Lee landed on his feet from the kick and appeared right behind him as he flew. 'The Sharingan couldn't see through the technique…but that means…!'

"I see you've figured it out. I'm not using ninjutsu or genjutsu; my style is strictly taijutsu, nothing else. This move is called Kagebuyo!" Lee said as he began moving as though he was Sasuke's shadow.

"It may be hard for you to accept, but even if your Sharingan can see and understand all techniques, it doesn't matter if your body can't keep up. It may be invaluable when it comes to ninjutsu or genjutsu, because they have rules, set formulas that must be followed, and set hand signs, but taijutsu is completely different. Even if you can see to the heart of my techniques, it doesn't matter. You lack the speed to keep up with me. Even if your eyes can follow me, you're too slow to keep up with me. You haven't had proper training. You're body is too weak to compete with me!" With that, Lee began to unroll the bandages on his arms.

"There are two kinds of strengths: those you possess naturally, such as your Sharingan, that you're born with. Then, there is the strength you earn through sweat, blood, and tears, which is what I've earned. While the Sharingan is natural, mine is earned, not given away so freely! Your gifts are no match for my payday of strength! It's a complete mismatch, and I'll prove it to everyone. This move alone will completely surpass your level of genius, and show you what true strength is!"

Just as Lee finished saying that, a pin with a shuriken on the end hit the end of his bandage, stopping him, and a commanding voice yelled "HALT!" Everyone turned, and saw an orange turtle with yellow spirals on its shell, and a Konoha forehead protector on its neck.

"That's far enough, Lee!" the turtle said.

With that, Lee released Sasuke and landed gracefully on the ground, but Sasuke wasn't in any position to recover, and Sakura had to make a last-minute catch for Sasuke.

'How could Sasuke get beat by bushy-brow so easily?' Naruto asked himself.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was seeing. Sasuke was trembling in fear, and defeat. This guy was strong, no doubt about it.

"You know the rules, Lee. That technique is forbidden! Never use it unless the condition is met!" The turtle said as Lee tried desperately to stutter out an apology.

'He's getting chewed out by a turtle? Could the turtle be his Sensei? No Way!' Naruto thought.

'I got beat by some crybaby like him? I can't believe it. I must be having an off day. Damn!' Sasuke thought angrily.

"I didn't mean-I-I would never-it was an accident-I mean-" Lee said, getting more desperate by the second.

"Save it, you fool!"

"Hey, Sakura-chan, that's a turtle, right?" Naruto asked, running over to his teammates.

"Of course, you idiot, are you blind?"

"So, can animals become ninjas?"

"Why ask such a stupid question!"

As Sakura berated Naruto, the turtle berated Lee.

"Do you really think I care about your feeble excuses! Do you think it wise for a shinobi to show his arsenal of techniques before a true need for them even occurs? Don't be so foolish! The opponents can easily come up with a counter for the technique! Use your brain, you idiot!" Lee just stood there with his head down, taking the harsh lecture, trembling all the while.

"Tell me, Lee, are you fully prepared for your real punishment?" Lee just nodded, preparing for the worst. "Okay, then…COME ON OUT, GUI-SENSEI!"

Above the turtle, a puff of smoke appeared, and out of the smoke appeared a man in a Jonin vest, with the same hair as Lee, but even bigger eyebrows. Kakashi's cell just stared at the man, faces painted with a mix of shock and fear. His eyebrows were almost alive.

"The same dorky hair…"

"Those huuuuge brows…"

"I've never seen anything like him! A true freak!"

Lee was clearly outraged. "Hey! Don't insult Gui-sensei!

"Shut up, bushy-brow! And what's with all the freaks popping up out of nowhere!"

"Look who's talking" Sasuke said.

"Shut up Sasuke! Even they're freaky compared to you!"

"What!" Lee shouted

"Lee!" Gui said

"Yes, sensei…"

"You fool!" Gui shouted as he punched Lee across the room. Everyone else just stood there in shock at the two.

"Gui-sensei"

"That's enough, Lee. No more words"

"Gui-sensei!" Lee said, as they embraced in a close and loooooong hug.

"Lee!"

"Gui-sensei!"

"Lee!"

'I was beaten by some crybaby like him?' Sasuke thought in disbelief.

"I understand…It's because you're young. It's alright." Gui said.

"Gui-sensei!"

"It's alright, Lee. Youth is a double-bladed sword; mistakes come with it, but you must never lose it!"

"Thank you, Gui-sensei!" Lee said in a salute.

"However, I cannot allow your violation of the rules to go without punishment, especially with that rule. Your punishment will take place right after the exam! I'm going to drill the rules right into your skull if I have to!"

"I understand, Gui-sensei!"

"Your punishment will be…FIVE HUNDRED LAPS AROUND THE PRACTICE FIELD!" Gui yelled, with his left hand on his hip and his right punching the air.

"Yes Gui-sensei!" Lee said, still saluting.

"What's that turtle thing, anyway?" Naruto asked.

Gui looked over at the other three standing next to each other, and noticed how they matched Kakashi's description. They all flinched when they saw he was looking at them.

"Hey, by the way, how's Kakashi? I'm asking you kids over there!"

"You know him?" Sasuke asked.

"Know him? Well…" With that, Gui vanished, and appeared right behind the three of them.

"We're archrivals, and I'm ahead of him, fifty wins to forty-nine losses. That's right, kids. I'm stronger than Kakashi!" He said in that odd masculine noble voice of his.

They all couldn't believe what they heard, except for Sasuke. "He's so fast, and with that speed, it's not hard to believe he's stronger than Kakashi. Is he even human?"

Lee decided to join in on the conversation. "As you can see, Gui-sensei is amazing!"

"I'd like to ask you to forgive Lee; he can be pretty jumpy at times to show off his skills, but even though he started this fight, please forgive him, for his sake and that of his teacher." He said doing the 'good guy pose.'

"Well, not that that's over, you kids should head to the exam room. Time's a waistin." And with that, he threw a kunai, dislodging Lee's bandage. Naruto got a look at Lee's hand, and noticed it was scarred and bruised. Lee began wrapping up his hands again, so no one else saw but him.

"Sasuke" Lee said, getting his attention. "Sorry about earlier, I was venting some steam. I'm really just here to prove my own strength. And, I don't think you're the strongest Konoha genin. I lied about me being the strongest. The strongest Konoha genin is on my team, and I aim to beat him in this exam. That's why I'm entering." He turned, but decided to say one more thing. "One last thing, you're on my list too. I'd better see you in the exams." And with that, Lee hopped off to the exam room.

Sasuke stood there, clearly enraged that he just lost, and it wasn't even to the best. He felt like such a loser.

"Maybe the great Uchiha clan isn't so great after all, huh?" Naruto commented.

"NARUTO, SHUT UP ABOUT SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto paused, and then told them what he saw. "Did you see his arms? They're bruised and scarred. And I swear he had stitches. He probably works himself to the bone every day. Your training is probably nothing compared to his. No wonder you got beat so bad. You're toast, bud."

"Shut up, Naruto." Sasuke said in a low voice. He balled his hands into fists, and looked sad and defeated for a moment, but quickly regained his air of superiority. "This is getting interesting. This is gonna have some good fights."

"Yep!"

"Duh!"

"Naruto, Sakura, Let's go." With that, the three walked off, with new eagerness for the upcoming exams.

They walked off to the real room 301, and to their surprise, saw Kakashi waiting for them outside the door, much to their surprise.

"Glad you three made it, and I'm very glad you decided to come, Sakura. This means all three of you can apply for the exam now."

"…What do you mean by that, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"The exam was set up so only three-man cells can participate. I said you didn't have to participate to not give you the feeling of guilt about leaving your teammates. This way, your teammates didn't have to convince you, and didn't have to force you to come. Even if you felt you weren't ready for the exam, if Sasuke asked you to come, you'd have done it anyway without a second thought, despite your better judgment."

"What if one of us didn't show up?" Naruto asked.

"The other two wouldn't have gotten past here, I'd have made sure of that. But, that's not the case. All of you came here because you wanted to be here, and I'm very proud to call you three my students. Now, get in there and show them your stuff." Kakashi said with a grin under his mask, and his eyes closed happily.

The three genin smiled at their sensei, and turned towards the door. Sakura opened the left door, and Sasuke the right, with Naruto in the center.

"Look out everyone, because here we come!"

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_I was happy, very happy. We had gotten into the exam, and managed to earn Kakashi's respect. It felt great. Now, in the exam, I met old rivals, and new ones in there, and the exam hadn't even started._

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The three genin walked through the door and into the exam room, and all three were shocked at the sight. Inside the room were over a hundred genin, and they were everywhere, on the ceiling, the tables, and all of them were glaring at them, wondering who came into the room now.

'There's so many genin here…are they all here to apply for Chunin? I think we're in way over our heads.' Sakura thought.

"Sasuke-kun! What kept you, cutie?" a blond blur said as it latched onto Sasuke. "I could hardly wait to see you again, Sasuke-kun! It's great to see you again, after all these months!" Ino said with excitement.

"Ino, you pig! Get your hands off MY Sasuke-kun right now!"

"Nice to see you too, Sakura. Still waiting for the billboard brow to come into style, huh?" Ino responded. Naruto was in between the two, his head looking back and forth between the two, wondering what was going on between the two girls.

"What did you say, pig!"

A guy with a head like a pineapple and an annoyed expression walked up, with his friend, Choji, eating chips. "Why don't you three save the examiners the trouble and quit now. You're annoying"

"Well, look at that, the three stooges." Naruto responded.

"How Troublesome" Shikamaru said. Choji just opened another bag of chips.

Ino was still clinging to Sasuke, sticking her tongue out at Sakura and giving her the stink eye. Sasuke just stood there, clearly annoyed with the whole situation.

"Well, look who's here, I was wondering where the other six of our little group was." A boy in an Eskimo suit with a dog on his head said. The other two behind him were a shy purple-haired girl with eyes like the brown-haired boy from earlier with a slightly tan jacket. The other was a boy with a brown afro, sunglasses, and a white jacket with a high collar. "Looks like the rookie nine's all here"

"Including you. That sucks." Shikamaru complained.

"Sooo…all the members of the rookie trio decided to apply for the Chunin exam this year, huh? How long do you think we'll last with these guys?"

"Trying to act cool to psych us out, Kiba? Well, it ain't gonna work." Sasuke said

"Who said I was acting? We've trained so hard there's no way you can beat us! HAHAHAHA!"

Naruto had had enough of his cool act "Shut up, why don't ya! There's no way you can beat Sasuke, and you can't beat me in a million years!"

The brunette girl decided to speak up "I-I'm sorry…Naruto-kun. Kiba-kun didn't mean it like that…"

"Hinata, don't worry, I'll handle this. Shino…just do what you do best. I'll take care of these guys."

"Stop acting so superior! You think you can handle me! Don't make me laugh! I can't wait to show you what I can do!" Naruto burst out at the dog-boy.

"Geez, would you brats do everyone a favor and shut up?" came a voice behind them.

"You little bunch of would-be ninjas are rookie genin, right? Kids fresh out of the academy? I can't believe they actually let you guys apply. Hasn't happened in five years." The boy had white hair in a pony tail, glasses, and a purple suit with a white sash around his waist. "This isn't a vacation from missions, you know. This is more intense than any mission you've had before, I promise you."

"Just who the heck do you think you are, four-eyes?" Ino asked

"My name is Kabuto. If I were you kids, I'd be opening my eyes."

"What do you mean, Kabuto?" Sakura asked.

"Look around you" Kabuto said. The nine rookies turned around, and noticed several ninja glaring at them with killer intent. Some of the rookies visibly flinched under their glares. "Those are Amanin. Watch out for them. They've got short fuses, and they aim to kill. Everyone's on edge, you know, waiting for the exam. Some are looking for an excuse to fight. Just giving you the heads up before you get the crap beat out of you." Kabuto began reaching into his sack on his belt and pulled something out. "Of course, that's probably unavoidable. You're rookies, you think you know everything. I was like that once, then I took this exam."

Sakrua began thinking about something and decided to ask Kabuto "Kabuto, is this the second time you've taken this exam?"

"No, seventh. Twice a year, for four years now."

"That means you've got a lot of information that you can give us, due to your experience."

"It also means you suck" Shikamaru added.

"I guess that's true. But I aim to go for it all this time."

"Yes! Kabuto, buddy, you're the best!" Naruto burst out.

"I guess the least I can do is give you some inside information on the exam. You'll get yourselves killed if you don't know. Take a look at these" With that, Kabuto showed them what he took out of his pouch. "These are shinobi skill cards. Before you ask, they contain information about the exams, the skills of the contestants, and various other notes, transformed into symbols and burned into the cards using my Chakra. It took me four years, but I finally have all the information I need for the exams. In all, there are over 200 cards."

"Hey, you're the guy with the information cards, right?" said a solid male voice.

The group turned around, and saw three more genin walking towards them, two girls and a boy. They stopped near the group assembled, and they locked eyes with the boy with glasses. "Our business is with him, you rookies are not involved." He said again.

The girl on the left had black hair running slightly down her back, a little below her shoulders. She had black eyes, and a nice face & figure. She was wearing a green shirt, with one sleeve cut off and a tattoo the kanji for 'Depths' on her arm. She had loose brown pants, tied under her shirt by a belt, with blue sandals. Her belt had several small pouches on the back of it, but he couldn't tell what was in them. She carried several round bamboo tubes on her back, which made a swishing sound when she walked. They could only guess, but he guessed it could be water for ninjutsu. She just stood there, with a hand on her hip waiting for things to start.

The other girl had hazel/light brown hair that naturally shined in two ponytails, one on each side of the top of the back of her head, falling slightly above her shoulder-line, and two bangs slightly curving with her face. Her eyes were deep blue, and her face was beautiful and no trace of baby fat, with a nice figure for her age. Nothing new; almost every kunoichi was cute. She had a slight pale complexion, that made her look nice, but didn't make her look unhealthy; in fact it made her shine slightly. She was wearing a deep blue shirt with short sleeves, which was longer in the back than the front, and would reveal part of her naval if not for the white undershirt. She had loose deep green pants, reaching just above her ankles and her pair of blue sandals. On her back were two swords, forming an X and each handle appearing behind a different shoulder. They looked to have blades about three feet long. The handles were yellow and had blue handgrips. She and the other girl were both slightly taller than Sakura, if only by an inch or two. When she stopped walking, she scanned the group and folded her arms, her eyes locking onto the cards.

The one who spoke was a boy with short brown hair, falling all around his head, barely falling past his chin. It broke off in the face so he could see, with only a few strands over his face. His eyes were brown, and held a serious tone. He was of average height, slightly taller than most of the rookies, signifying his age. He had a brown long-sleeved shirt and grey pants, and he was wearing a black unzipped coat. A peculiar thing that everyone noticed (except Naruto initially) was that he was wearing hiking boots instead of traditional shinobi sandals. He had a jar attached to his belt, on the back, beside his equipment pouch.

Naruto decided to see just what these guys wanted "Okay, who are you and what do you want with my buddy Kabuto?"

"We're just here to check out his information on the cards. It's best to get as much information as possible. You should listen too. You'll definitely need it." said the boy.

"Why you-" Naruto threatened.

"You never mentioned your names." Sasuke cut in before a fight could break out.

"So we haven't. Forgive our manners. I'm Sasaki Hotaka. I already know yours, Uchiha Sasuke." The boy said

The girl with black hair spoke up next "I'm Aoki Yoko."

Finally, the girl in blue said hers last ""I'm Kimura Michiko. Nice to meet you" she said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too. These are the rookie nine, and I'm Kabuto. So, you would also like to see what I've got?"

"Yes." "Uh-huh" "Yup" All three said at once, in the order their names were given.

Kabuto smiled "Sure. It's no skin off my back. I was just about to start. You arrived at the perfect time."

"More? How troublesome." Shikamaru said.

"Before I begin, may I ask a question?" Kabuto asked. He received a nod. "You wouldn't happen to be the students of Takahashi Ryuunosuke, would you?"

"Yes, we are. So, you've heard of the blue-haired wonder too?" Michiko asked.

"Who hasn't? Well, at least if you've been around for a while in this business."

"Who's Ryuunosuke?" Naruto asked. Several others were wondering too.

"He's one of Konoha's most famous ninjas, on par with your sensei, Kakashi." This caused the three older shinobi's eyes to widen. "You'll learn more later. Anyway, back to the cards." Kabuto took off one card, and did a few hand signs. He placed his finger on the card, and before everyone's eyes, the card turned into a 3-D map.

"Whoa! What's that?" Kiba asked

"These are shinobi skill cards. This one is a combination of a map and a bar graph, which I put in three dimensions. This one shows how many applicants are coming from the various countries. As you can see, 30 come from sand, 21 from rain, 6 from grass, 6 from waterfall, 90 from leaves, and only 3 from sound, but that's to be expected. Sound is still new. It's helpful knowing who comes from where, because each village usually specializes in a certain type of jutsu, or a style of fighting, or the training is dfferent. We're all from leaf, but others come from other places, with completely different forms of fighting."

Sasuke wondered what else was in those cards "Hey, you got any individual cards for each applicant?"

Kabuto gave a small laugh "Why? Someone of peculiar interest to you? I'd have guessed so. I do have a full set, but these ones are far from complete. It's hard to get that kind of information from other nations, but I have my sources. I even have your team. If you narrow down the person you want to know about, I'll happily look up the card, and show you what I have at the moment."

"There's Sabaku no Gaara from Sand, and Rock Lee from here."

"You got their names? No sweat then" With that, Kabuto pulled out two more cards and activated them, and handed them over to Sasuke.

Kabuto began to explain "Rock Lee is a Genin a year older than you, he graduated last year. He's done 20 D-rank missions and 11 C-rank missions with Miato Gui, his sensei, and Hyuga Neji and Tenten, his teammates. His taijutsu has grown immensely over the past year, but there's nothing else worth mentioning. Although he was considered a standout among last years rookies, he didn't apply for the exam. None of them did. So, you three and him are doing this for the first time too, eh?"

"It doesn't matter. We're strong enough. To be honest, I'm surprised he's still a shinobi, with his disability and all." Yoko said. This caused some stares of wonder, but Kabuto interrupted.

"Sure. Anyway. Sabaku no Gaara…I don't have much about him, honestly. I do know he has done eight C-Rank missions and a B-rank mission, which is a surprise, because usually Genins can't go on those. I don't know how many D-rank ones he's done. His skills are unknown, but he always carries a gourd with him. His teammates are his older brother and sister, Kankuro and Temari. The amazing thing is, after every mission, he comes back unscathed. Quite a remarkable achievement."

The twelve genin stood silent after Kabuto finished.

"As for information on the exam, I don't need cards for that. I'll tell you right now. All six of these villages have sent outstanding Genin here, the best from their village. Sound may be new, but every other village is well respected, and is home to powerful shinobi, and they sent their best juniors here today, just for this."

"Am I the only one feeling outclassed right now?" Hinata asked.

"So…what you're saying is that…everyone…" Ino thought aloud.

"Exactly. Everyone here is like Lee and Gaara: the best their village has to offer; the best young shinobi in the world. They better be. This test is pitiless! It takes no prisoners!"

Naruto seemed to be shaken by this. He was shaking. Sakura saw this, and couldn't believe it. 'Even our overconfident idiot is afraid. But really, could we blame him? We all feel afraid, with all these experienced shinobi around us. And we're all just beginners, this is our first time at this exam. Maybe a little pep talk will help him out.'

"It's alright, Naruto. It's okay, no sweat. We'll be fi-" she was cut off by Naruto's yell.

"MY NAME IS UZUMAKI NARUTO, AND NONE OF YOU ARE GONNA BEAT ME! YOU GOT THAT!" he yelled so loud everyone stopped their conversations and glared at him. "Man, that felt great." He said putting his hands behind his head.

"What's his problem?" Ino asked Sakura.

'Typical. Too stupid to know he's stupid.' Sakura thought.

"Oh, please" Sasuke said.

"Show-off" Shikamaru said

'What an idiot. He just turned a room full of strangers into a room full of enemies in ten seconds. He's either extremely skilled and unworried, or he's extremely dumb and cocky.' Michiko thought.

'Fool. Can't you sense the killer intent aimed at you?' Hotaka thought.

The twelve genin around Naruto stepped away, not wanting to get involved when the hundred other genin pounced on him. Sakura finally tried to convince the crowd not to kill him, which apparently worked. The other genin turned around and went back to their business. Kabuto was just shrugging it off.

Suddenly, they heard three sets of movement headed towards them. They saw one boy with the sound village jump high into the air and throw some special sound kunai with guards at Kabuto. Kabuto jumped back, the kunai landing where he formerly stood. As he skidded back, another sound ninja with a furry cloak and a bandaged face came up to him and performed a seal. He swung his right arm back, preparing to strike. He swung his fist around, and Kabuto dodged by pulling his head back, smirking, noticing an odd metal device with holes on his arm. However, even after he dodged the initial attack, his glasses suddenly cracked.

'I see. This attack is…' Kabuto thought before he fell on his hand and vomited over the floor.

"What happened? He dodged the blow, but his glasses broke." Choji asked.

"His nose probably got grazed." Michiko said.

"Serves him right for acting all high and mighty." Shikamaru said.

"But then why'd he hurl?" Naruto asked.

"These guys are…interesting." Sasuke said.

They all looked over at the attackers, and noticed their sound headbands. The one who threw the kunais had cheek guards, hair spiked up, a spotted scarf, which the others had as well, and the word 'death' in kanji on his shirt. The girl had long hair, going to her legs, tied near the end. She had a white top, and loose, spotted pants. The other one had a long furry cloak, and his face was almost completely bandaged, with the exception of his left eye.

"Kabuto, buddy, you alright!" Naruto asked, going over to him.

"Yeah…I'm fine."

The boy with the cloak decided to speak "What a pushover. Pretty sad, and you've been applying for four years now?"

The boy with death on his shirt spoke next "Better add this to your cards: All three applicants from sound will make Chunin this year, and we'll show them just whose village is weak."

'The attack didn't hit. I know that much. There's something else to that guy's attack, and I'll bet it has something to do with that metal device.' Sasuke thought.

"That's enough! Everyone shut up!"

Everyone in the room turned to where the voice came from, and noticed a large puff of smoke covering the entire front of the room. When the smoke cleared, several older ninja stood, the one in the black coat and with a face covered in scars spoke again.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Morino Ibiki, and I'm the proctor in charge of the first exam." Everyone visibly tensed in fear at his voice. It was solid, and tough, with killer intent laced nicely into it, and pierced through them like a hot knife through butter. Ibiki pointed at the sound warriors "You, from sound, unless you wanna be disqualified, I suggest you behave yourselves."

"We apologize. It's our first exam, just a bit anxious." Said the bandage head sound shinobi.

"Is that so? Well, then it's high time we laid down some ground rules. From now on, unless the examiners say otherwise, there is to be no fighting, and unless they further say otherwise, there is to be no action that will endanger another applicant's life. Any of you kids wanna go break that rule, will be disqualified. There won't be a sorry, forgive and forget. Got that?"

The uncloaked boy from sound decided to have some fun "So, this test is for little girls?" This caused some people to snicker, and some girls to look at him with death written in their eyes.

"You're pushing your luck, kid. Anyway, the first part of the Chunin exams is about to commence. Turn in your application in the front, and take one of these seating tokens. Then, report to the seat the marker indicates. Following this, we shall begin passing out the written test."

Naruto was visibly shaken by this. After a second, the look of shock faded into full blown fear as he shouted "WHAT! A-A WRITTEN TEST!"

Minutes later, after Naruto had gotten his number, which was 53, he sat down, and slumped on the desk, completely crushed. Sakura was two rows behind him and two seats to his right, and she saw how he was.

'Man, this must be Naruto's worst nightmare come to life. He's completely crushed. And worst of all, we're all spread out around the room. We're all on our own. This is bad.' Sakura thought.

"Hey, you're that one crazy kid who shouted his name out while we were talking with Kabuto. What's up?" Michiko asked.

Naruto looked over to his left, and was surprised to see the girl in blue from before next to him. She had her hands behind her head, and had a confident smirk on her face.

"Hey. You look confident."

"Yeah, what's there to worry about? This test is gonna be easy."

"Says you. I'm done for"

"Well, you can't give up. What about that crazy thing you did before the sound guys attacked us? You can't give up now."

"…Yeah! You're right! Thanks, Michiko-Chan!"

"Michiko blinked at the endearing suffix, but let it slide. "You're welcome…what's your name? I never got it?"

Naruto was cheering inside. Someone had asked for his name, and not Sasuke's! He would jump up and down if the test still wasn't getting him down. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the next Hokage!"

"Nice dream, Naruto-kun. Who knows? Maybe one day they'll let an idiot become Hokage!" she joked.

"Hey!"

"Well, I'm not the one who made over a hundred enemies in sentence." She gave a small laugh.

"Well I-" Naruto was cut off before he could continue as Ibiki began to set down the rules.

"Okay, papers face-down until I say otherwise. Now listen up. I'm going to explain the rules for the test. I'm going to write them on the blackboard, for any idiots with short attention spans, and I'll explain them as well, but only once, and no questions, so listen carefully." Ibiki held up some chalk to the chalkboard and wrote down four numbers, and wrote the rules down as he said them.

"Rule number one: Each applicant starts out with ten points. The test has ten questions, and each is worth one point. For every question that is unanswered or answered incorrectly, one point is subtracted from the applicant's total points. For example: if you answer all ten right, you get ten points, but if you get three wrong, you get seven points, because three points were subtracted from your total of ten points.

'So, if I get all ten wrong, then I wind up with no points at all. Oh shit!' Naruto panicked.

"Rule number two: This written exam is still a team event. Passing or failing will be determined by the sum of all the points held by a three-person squad. The object is to retain as many points as possible from your original thirty-point total." At this point, everyone heard a loud thud, which came from Sakura, slamming her head on the table.

"Wait a second! This is hard enough to follow without the team points total. Why do we have to add it? Sakura asked, clearly unhappy with the events.

"Are you deaf, or did you simply ignore the part about no questions? We've got our reasons, which are none of your business. Now shut up, you may learn something."

"Rule number three: If during the course of the exam, and applicant is caught cheating, or anything else out of the ordinary, we shall subtract two points from the applicant's total score. If this happens, and one looses all their points by cheating, the applicant shall be asked to leave. So, if you get it, that means there's more than one way to lose points on this exam. The other proctors will be looking over your shoulders when you least expect it. If they catch you cheating, you'll bring your whole squad down! If you truly aspire to become Chunin, or just the best shinobi you can be, then start acting like you already are!"

'Stay calm, Sakura. It's too bad for Naruto, but Sasuke-kun and I should be able to retain enough points for all of us, no matter how badly Naruto does.' Sakura tried to encourage herself.

"And finally, rule number four: If an applicant somehow looses all of their points, whether it be by cheating or otherwise, and person, along with their entire squad will be disqualified!"

"WHA!" Sakura shrieked.

"Oh no…" Sasuke said.

"I can feel their gaze from here, beating down my neck; they're so gonna kill me!" Naruto said.

Ibiki decided it was time to begin "You have one hour…starting…NOW!" As soon as he spoke, the sound of papers being moved filled the room for a few seconds.

Sakura, however, hadn't turned hers over. She was in shock. 'Say it isn't so. This is probably a lose-lose situation. Please Naruto, for all of us, just cling onto one of your points?'

Sasuke was going through a similar situation himself. 'This is bad, very bad. Naruto is an idiot, but he better not panic, or we'll all be in trouble.'

Naruto was doing something no one would expect him to do in a situation like this: he was grinning, and laughing slightly. 'Man, this is funny! Here I am, up against my old enemy. I wasn't the all-time dunce for nothing! I earned that on the battlefield! Okay! Just gotta stay calm! These damn tests can smell fear! I just gotta take them one at a time, and avoid multi-tasking. Separate the weak from the strong, and strike!' He thought, humming a tune all the while in an attempt to remain calm.

'Okay! Number one. Whoa! It's cryptography. They're really pushing us to the limit. Hmmmmmmm…Okay! Next!' Naruto thought, still trying to remain confident.

Sakura looked up from answering her first question to look at Naruto. 'I wonder how he's doing. Well, I can't think about that now. I've got to concentrate and keep all my points. I've got to focus on my work to make up for Naruto.'

'Let's see...Number two: _The parabola marked B represents the greatest effective distance the enemy shinobi, A, could throw a shuriken from the top of a 23.3 foot-tall Tree. Calculate the specific features of the scenario and deduce the range of the shuriken's effectiveness, assuming a consistent speed for shinobi A's assault upon any enemy shinobi operating within the arc that the flight of the shuriken describes. Show your work. _This is…This is crazy! To solve this, you need to hypothesize under very uncertain conditions, and then apply the laws of physics and kinetics to whatever you come up with! There's no chance for Naruto to answer something like this. But…then again…I doubt more than a quarter of the genin here can answer it, and that's probably exaggerated. This exam is intense. Of course…I can solve it.'

Naruto kept looking at his paper, and with every question he saw, he slowly became more and more worried. Finally, when he read the final one available, and couldn't answer that, he froze up. 'I'm screwed' was all he thought.

Sasuke was having similar luck, but his reaction was a bit calmer. 'Hmph. Well, waddya know? I don't know how to answer a single one of these questions; and what's up with number ten?" he asked himself. Question ten said: This question will not be provided until forty-five minutes into the exam. At that time, please answer the question the proctor gives you to the best of your ability.

'I'M SCREWED! SCREWED! I'M FUCKING SCREWED. WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? I gotta do something…even cheating is better than this! But how? I gotta be sly…sneaky…unnoticed…' Naruto thought.

Sasuke was watching the proctors; he knew something was up. 'Look at them, watching us like prisoners. It's like they expect us to cheat.'

Sakura was also thinking 'Rule number two ensures that we're competing against each other. That means that only the teams with the highest scores go onto the next exam. I just wish I knew where the cut-off line was, so I had an idea of our chances. But…that really wouldn't change anything, but it's driving me nuts. Besides, he made it clear that there are no questions. It wouldn't be worth it, and I'd only loose time.' Sakura pushed her hair back as she thought. 'This system is set up so it almost forces us to cheat. I just hope that Sasuke and Naruto don't resort to those low tactics. But…even Naruto's not that stupid, is he?'

Sasuke was growing suspicious. 'With so many proctors, they're probably watching our every move, waiting for someone to slip up, making notes in their gradebooks all the while' Sasuke began to remember about what the chief proctor said about being caught cheating brings the whole team down, and how if they wanted to be great ninja, they should act as if they already are. 'HOLD IT!'

'I get it. It's so obvious. Pretty tricky. This is an intelligence test, in more than one way. You guys better wake up, expecially you Naruto! If you don't get it, you're dead. They're also testing our spying abilities! They WANT us to cheat, like professional shinobi, without getting caught. The number of proctors, the points system, it all fits. Real shinobi must learn to uncover secrets within the secrets, so they want us to cheat like real shinobi in the real world like on a real mission. The real message of the points system is that you can get caught up to four times before you'll be disqualified. It's not whether we know the answers that matters, but how we find them. Come on Naruto! Sakura's probably got it, or can answer them on her own, but any minute now, everyone's gonna start! You better be in on it too!' The odd thing was, Naruto seemed to react to Sasuke's words.

Before Sasuke discovered the exam's intentions, Naruto was still freaking out. People who were caught cheating were being disqualified left and right. He had no way of cheating without being caught. He didn't have any special jutsu to help him, he was done for. 'I gotta do something, or its ov-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!' Naruto screamed in his head as a pain surged through the upper right part of his face. He began growling in pain, small grunts and moans becoming clear. Something was happening, and it hurt!

Michiko became aware that he was in pain by the noise, and turned to him, seeing him with his head on the desk, covering and pressing on his right temple and eye. She looked over in concern. "Hey, you okay?"

Naruto didn't reply, and instead kept groaning. Michiko decided to offer help. "I'm going to go talk to an examiner. If you're in that much pain, it's serious." Just as she was about to get up, his hand grapped her shoulder and kept her from getting up.

"I-I'm fine. Do-ugh-don't worry. I'm not stopping now!" he said with some intensity. She decided to leave him be for now.

"Okay, but don't kill yourself, with whatever you're doing." she said, going back to her own paper. She wasn't in the right position to see Naruto's right eye.

Sasuke and Sakura saw this too. They looked at him with slight concern, but dismissed it as nothing, or a student trying to get answers out of him.

Naruto had removed his forehead protector and placed it below him, facing up, so he could better grasp his temple. His hair fell loose, making it impossible for anyone to see the upper half of his face as he looked down. Soon after, the pain had become almost completely concentrated on his right eye. He placed his forehead protector down and covered his eye, gritting his teeth. Then, all of a sudden, the pain stopped. He released his eye, still looking down, only to gasp and cover it up. He saw in the reflection of his forehead protector, not a pure blue eye, but a red one, but the entire eye was red, not just part of it. There was no white, or black pupil. The strangest part was that the eye glowed, having a red aura surround it, and it felt…distant. He couldn't believe it, and just sat there in shock for a minute, before wondering 'Is this a bloodline limit? It has to be. I don't know anything else that does this.'

Naruto was still thinking when a new pain struck his mind. There were over 200 voices in his head, All of them unique! He recognized a few of them. 'Why is everyone yelling!' He asked himself, thinking everyone started talking. Suddenly, he heard something: the voice of the examiner. 'Wait a second! The examiner would never talk, he hasn't said a word since this began. Something's up.' Naruto decided this had something to do with his eye. He decided to try and focus on his eye, and tried to control it. He began to utilize the skill he learned through the tree-walking exercise, and it worked! 'This eye responds to my chakra! Maybe if I focus on one person, I'll find out what's going on here.' He decided to focus on Sakura.

'Well, number seven's done. I wonder how Naruto's doing. He'd better keep at least one point, or else! And Sasuke…he'll pull through. He was the top of our class, after all.' Naruto stopped focusing on her. So, she still thought so highly of Sasuke. 'Why is it always him?' Naruto asked himself. 'Wait, I just read her mind! This eye lets me read minds! Th-This is awesome! Who to check out now?' Naruto mentally asked himself. One person came to thought 'Sasuke. Heh heh heh.' He thought as he began to focus.

Naruto started to read his mind, and heard everything Sasuke thought about, which was his realization of what the exam really was! 'Whoa, so that's what the exam's all about. They want us to cheat. YES! With this eye, there's no way I can fail now!' He thought. He realized Sasuke was using his Sharingan to copy the person in front of him. He was also thinking over the answers in his head. This gave Naruto the perfect opportunity to copy the answers. After ten minutes of reading Sasuke's mind, he had all of the answers, save ten. He looked at the clock and saw he still had twenty minutes until the tenth questions, so he decided to find out how everyone else was getting the answers. He made his forehead protector cover his right eye, so no one could see it.

He first investigated Sakura. He found she didn't cheat, and she knew all the answers. However, he sensed another presence inside her, and Sakura's was minimal, like someone else was in her body. After reading her mind, he narrowed it down to Ino using a jutsu called shintenshin no jutsu to put her mind inside Sakura's body, while she looked at her answers. He also found out she intended to pass on the answers to Shikamaru and Choji, using the same technique. He wanted to yell for her to stop, but knew Ibiki was watching him, and decided against it.

The next person he went to was that Gaara kid. He was planning on using a jutsu called Daisan no Me. He was going to put sand in another person's eye, and use his third eye to copy off that person's paper. He also found out about the kid with face paint, who Gaara called Kankuro in his mind. He decided to check out that guy, and it turned out he was planning to use a thing called Karasu, which would give him the answers when he went to go to the bathroom. He also intended to give it to his sister, who was called Temari.

He next went to Kiba, and learned that Akamaru, his dog, was looking around the room for him, and barking him the answers. They were almost done. He'd been wondering why that dog was barking.

He next went to Shino, and he was talking to a bug. The bug was actually going around the room, getting the answers for him, and they would relay the answers to Shino. He was on number eight, and getting close to finishing.

He decided to read the thoughts of the girl in pink next, which Lee's card had identified as Tenten. She had thrown Kunai up near the lights with mirrors attached to the ends. The mirrors had strings attached to them, and she was controlling them by moving her pencil. She was doing this for herself and Lee, whom had moved his headband from his torso to his forehead, signifying he could see the mirrors. They were observing Shino, and wrote down the answers as they came, so they were a little behind Shino.

He went to the boy Lee's card had identified as Neji. He was using an ability called Byakugan, which Naruto, upon reading his mind further, found it to be a bloodline limit pupil technique. It allowed him to see through objects, and using it, he saw through the person in front of him, and saw his paper. Hinata was using the same strategy.

Hotaka had copied the answers using a Tsuchi Bunshin no Jutsu what used Kakuremino no Jutsu to blend into the background, and copy the answers on a small sheet of paper, and flicked it at Hotaka. The clone remained, so as not to cause the dirt to fall to the floor. The paper was real, and he caught it with a prepared hand. He kept the paper hidden, and wrote down the answers. He then took out a kunai knife, and pretended to play with it out of boredom. He was actually using morse code with the light reflecting off the Kunai to give the answers to his teammates, who were both behind him.

He checked out the sound guys next. All of them were using the same strategy: judge the words from the rhythm, writing order, and number of strokes that go into the words. Using that, they could copy anyone who was writing. Two were done, but the boy with the cloak was just finishing.

Naruto wanted to use the ability longer and check how Kabuto was doing, but it began to fade five minutes before the tenth question. 'What? I still have plenty of Chakra left. Why did it stop? Bloodlines aern't supposed to do that. So what is this?' Naruto asked himself. He put his headband back in its usual positon .He pondered over it for the next five minutes, but was stopped by the chief proctor.

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"_I had no idea what this new power was, but I knew it was going to help me. The thing I didn't know was that I was only scratching the surface of my new power."_

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Alright, get ready for the tenth question!" As he said this, everyone prepared to cheat again. "However, before we move on to the question, there's going to be a new rule." Everyone stared in shock. The rules in place were bad enough, but another one? "Let me elaborate. This rule is absolute. Before I give the question, you must choose to either accept or reject the question."

The girl called Temari thought that was stupid "Choose? Of course we're going to accept it. Why would we reject it!"

"You didn't let me finish. If you choose to reject the question and don't even try to answer it, then your points immediately drop to zero and you and your whole team fails right now!

Some other genin voiced their opinions "Then why would we reject it!" "That's stupid. Everyone's going to accept it!"

"I assure you, people will reject it. That's because of the other half of the rule. If you choose to accept the tenth question, and fail to answer it correctly, then you will be forbidden to participate in the Chunin selection exams ever again!"

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The whole room yelled in unison.

Kiba stood up, outraged "That's bullshit, man! You can't be serious! There are people who've been through the exams more than once already! We know it!"

Ibiki gave a small sadistic laugh. "Your luck must be bad, because this rule wasn't made in past years. But now, I'm here. Get used to it. Now, you can take a failing grade now, and try again in six months, or try to answer it, and risk staying a genin forever! Anyone with any doubts would be smart just to reject the question now. Come back after six months of study, and try your luck again, and pray I'm not here." Everyone just sat in silence, debating whether or not to try.

'This is a no-win situation! If just one member of a squad rejects the question, then the whole three-man team fails right now! But, if we accept the question and can't answer it, then the person who didn't answer the question right stays a genin forever! We could lose either way! This is bad!' Sakura thought.

Naruto was visibly shaking! Why'd he have to lose his mind-reading ability now of all times? He could see Michiko looking worried herself. Any false intelligence, or a single word misinterpreted, and she fails. She knew morse code was a risky choice.

"Everyone ready, then let's begin. Those who wish to reject the tenth question, raise your hands now. Once your number has been confirmed, and those of your teammates, you and your squad shall leave the room." Everyone in the room was full of worry, thinking of the consequences for either choice.

Naruto just sat there, cursing himself 'Why'd I have to loose the red eye ability now? What kind of stupid question is it? If I get it wrong, I stay a genin forever. I can't let that happen! But if I reject the question, Sasuke and Sakura have to suffer for me running away! Damnit, this is hard!'

Sakura was concerned 'I won't raise my hand. I can answer the question no matter what it is. But if Naruto raises his hand, I fail anyway, along with Sasuke. It won't matter. I'll just loose time. I'll reapply next year. No big deal. But Naruto…you're not like Sasuke and I. It'd be stupid to sacrifice yourself for us, and taking that kind of punishment. Just reject it. I won't hold it against you.'

Just as that happened, the man next to Naruto raised his hand, declaring he rejected the question. He and his teammates left. This caused a chain reaction, with several of the applicants choosing to quit now. Naruto's hand, however, remained down.

'Naruto, just raise your hand.' Sakura thought, looking at her teammate. She remembered all the times he'd declared he'd excel and how he'd be the best Hokage ever, and how happy he'd been when he was made an official ninja. 'You're always going on about how you'll surpass the Hokages. Sure, it's a crazy dream, but…I don't want it to be taken from you forever.' She thought, as she slowly raised her hand, but stopped, upon seeing Naruto's hand slowly rise. 'Naruto!'

Michiko's hand was also about to go up, too. She'd been thinking of the risk she was taking, and decided to play it safe, study, and come back next time. But then suddenly, Naruto's hand that was in the air, slammed down onto the desk with all its force, cracking the wood.

"SCREW YOU! DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME! I DON'T QUIT, AND I'LL NEVER RUN! I'll take on your stupid question, even if I do end up being a Genin all my life, I DON'T GIVE A SHIT! I'll still become Hokage by stubbornness and guts alone! I DON'T CARE! I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU, SCAR!

Michiko's hand went limp, along with any thoughts of giving up. She'd been inspired by the boy's courage. 'He sure does have a way of inspiring others. He's still an idiot, though.'

'Never even gave us a thought, but he's sure got guts.' Sasuke thought.

'He's got a strong will. Good thing, because an idiot like him needs them.' Sakura thought.

'He's…definitely interesting. He quelled all fears in the room, along with his own. I'll keep my eyes on him.' Hotaka thought.

Ibiki gave them one last chance "This is your last chance. This decision will effect the rest of your life. Quit now, while you still have a chance."

Naruto responded, meeting his threat head on "I NEVER go back on my word. That's my nindo, my way of the ninja!" Everyone in the room was either smirking or smiling at the kid, Gaara excluded.

Ibiki was in thought 'Amazing. Eighty-one are still here. Entertaining kid. He has the ability to inspire confidence in others. He could make a good Hokage, someday. This is more than I expected, but there's obviously no point in dragging it on. No one else will quit now.' He turned to the other proctors, and received nods of agreement from them.

"So, no one else will quit. Very well. So, everyone who is here…" Everyone gulped, waiting for the question. "Just passed the first exam!"

"What the!" Naruto said.

Sakura spoke up "What? How'd we pass? What about the tenth question? And what about the other questions? Aern't you gonna chech them?

Ibiki gave a grin "There is no tenth question, at least not one that you write down. The whole question was whether you accepted or rejected. As for your other question, no, I am not going to grade them. The whole purpose of those questions were to test your spying and information-gathering skills. You had to do them silently, and without getting caught. The system forced you to cheat. These questions were far beyond Genin level. It pressured you to cheat, and well, for the good of your teammates, so you wouldn't bring them down with you. We even snuck in some Chunin disguised as Genin, for your cheating pleasure."

'He's like a completely different person now.' Yoko said.

"Of course, anyone who cheated in a clumsy way failed. This way, we eliminated the obvious losers beforehand." He took off his headbandana, showing a head with burn scars, slash marks, and screw puncture holes. 'He's been tortured' everyone thought, some more sadistically than others. "The information gathered must be reliable, and it can't be trusted if the enemy are alert to your presence. If you can't discover the information properly, it's best to no do anything at all. Learn that, and learn it well. If you bring back uncertain information or a compromised operation, you're doing work for your enemy, and it can harm your village and comrades. That's why we maneuvered you to use your espionage skills to cheat. It was a quick and easy way of getting rid of those whose skills are crap." Ibiki said, putting on his headbandana and smiling at the group.

"What about the tenth question, What was that for?" Michiko asked.

"Ah, yes. That question. It was the first real exam. Allow me to elaborate. It was a choice of two options: safety and risk. Those who rejected it failed, and their friends as well. Those who chose to accept and couldn't answer, lost any chance of ever trying again. It was nasty, harsh, and unfair; a lose-lose situation. So why did I present them? Let's say you made Chunin, and were given an assignment to steal a vital enemy document, not knowing anything about the enemy's defenses, weaponry, skills, or numbers. You have to cross enemy territory heavily mined and trapped. Now, should you reject them mission, rather than place the lives of yourself and your companions in danger?" He paused for effect. "Well, the answer is the same as could any Chunin get off with all the easy and safe missions. Of course not!"

"No matter how dangerous, no matter how risky, there will always be missions that you cannot reject. Ninjas must demonstrate valor that inspires those around them at the Chunin level, helping others overcome their negative emotions and fears. This is the talent that we most value at the Chunin Commander level, and it's what that blond boy demonstrated just now." Naruto grinned at this. "Those who can't take a gamble, who would trade today's certain risk for an uncertain future, and never take chances that lie before them, are weak, and make only weak and easy decisions. I believe that they don't even deserve to call themselves shinobi or wear the proud ninja headband. By choosing to accept, you answered the almost insoluble tenth question correctly. Keep that spirit, and you can conquer all of the doubts and fears you face. Congratulations, you've passed the first hurdle of the Chunin exams. Good luck on whatever path you travel!

There were cheers all around the room, the loudest coming from Naruto. Suddenly, a black blur crashed through the window, glass flying everywhere. Kunais attached to the cloth opened it up, revealing a nearly opened cloth saying 'Newly Arrived Second Chief Exam Officer Mitarashi Anko!' and in front of it stood a woman with a fishnet shirt that went halfway between her knee and hip, a miniskirt, and a large tan coat, and purple hair around her head, the back looking like a peacock.

"None of you are in a position to celebrate! I'm Mitarashi Anko, the chief examiner of the second exam! Time's a waistin, people. Let's go! Follow me!" Everyone just stared at the crazy women that reminded them of Naruto. When she became aware of how they looked at her, her face went blank and she blushed, but regained her composure and spoke to Ibiki.

"Eighty-one? You passed twenty-seven teams? You went too easy on them."

"What can I say? This year's applicants are very promising."

"Yeah, right! I'll cut that number by more than half before my exam is done." Everyone stared at the psycho 'Half! Oh man! Not good!' "Ooh, I get exited just thinking about it! I'll explain the next exam in detail when we arrive at the location. Until then, follow me!" She said, walking out, with the applicants following.

Half an hour later, they arrived in front of a large forest, surrounded by gates. The applicants stared in awe. It was huge! That place had to be over a hundred years old.

"Where are we, ma'am?" Sakura asked.

"This is where the second exam will be held. Training ground 44, otherwise known as the Forest of Death!

Next Time: The Second Exam, part 1; Naruto goes Berserk!

**Notes**

Holy Crap! Nearly 13,000 words! Nice

Let me elaborate on Michiko. When I was thinking of her design, I was watching Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and decided to use the moogle girl. I altered her appearance to look more ninja-like, and the white shirt is just a T-shirt, but generally it's just an older version of her. Watch the movie to see what she looks like if you didn't understand it. She cares for others, but she can have a fiery temper. You'll find out more later.

These are the jutsus:

Shunshin no jutsu-Body flicker technique

Genjutsu-Illusion Technique

Ninjutsu-Ninja Technique

Taijutsu-Body Technique

Henge no jutsu-transformation technique

Konoha Reppu-Konoha/Leaf Gale

Kagebuyo-Shadow of the Dancing Leaf

Amanin-Rain ninja

shintenshin no jutsu-Mind Body switch technique

Daisan no Me-Third eye

Karasu-Crow

Byakugan-White eye

Tsuchi Bunshin no Jutsu-Earth clone technique

Kakuremino no Jutsu-Cloak of Invisibility Technique

I added a new team, and each has their own special ability. They will play a role in upcoming events. As will their sensei, Ryuunosuke.

Naruto's new power will be further explained in the next chapter, but I will be explaining it over the course of the story.

I'll try to update soon. Thank you to all those who review my story, and please ask others to review it, if you would. If you have any questions, go ahead and ask. I'll answer all questions in the Notes.

Well, until then, drop a review.

Later.

Tsurugi-Sama


	4. The 2nd exam, pt 1: Naruto Goes Berserk!

**The Paths We Walk**

_P.S: remember guys, read the notes at the end, and review the story._

The Second Exam, part 1; Naruto goes Berserk!

"Oooooooooooh! The Forest of Death! Oh no, I'm soooooooo afraid!" Naruto yelled with sarcasm. "If you're trying to psych us out, I'm not gonna fall for it, ya got that!" He yelled out. Everyone just stared at him. This guy was either extremely strong and unafraid, or he was just stupid. Most were going with the latter.

"You're a pretty cocky brat, ya know that?" Anko said with her eyes closed and smiling, just as she flicked out a kunai from inside her coat sleeve and flung it at Naruto, all in the blink of an eye. The kunai struck Naruto but just grazed his left cheek, and landing behind another applicant from grass, who lost a strand of hair from the passing kunai. Suddenly, the psychotic woman was behind Naruto, licking at the blood from his wound trailing down his cheek.

"Heh. Brats like you are always the first to fall, spilling all that rich, lovely, luscious red blood. I love it." she said in a scarily happy tone. She suddenly flicked out another kunai in her hand from her coat and grabbed it, as if preparing from attack. When Naruto looked around, he saw a tall grass ninja with long hair, a traditional hat, but all of that went unnoticed by Naruto, as his attention was entirely on the long tongue coming from his mouth, holding a kunai.

"Your kunai, I believe you dropped it."

"Hey, thanks." Anko said, taking her kunai. She stuck her tongue out, but wasn't able to match his, and they glared for a second. "I suggest you don't stand behind me, with all that bloodlust. Unless, of course, you wanna die."

"My apologies. I'll try to behave myself, but the sight of fresh warm blood drives me crazy, and I was already revved up from losing a strand of my beautiful hair." He said as he turned away, walking back to his group.

Sakura was worried with the whole situation 'This is really bad. We got a real nutcase in charge of this exam. Not good, not good at all.' She looked at the grass ninja. 'And then there's him…that tongue isn't normal.'

'What's with that huuuuuge tongue?' Naruto asked himself.

"Well well, looks like we've got some hot-blooded teams on our hands this time! This is gonna be fun!" Anko said.

'Uh-oh. We're hot-blooded, and she's blood thirsty!' Naruto worried.

"Now, everyone, listen up! Before we begin the exam, I have something to hand out." Anko announced, and pulled out a pile of forms. Everyone was looking at the forms in confusion. "Anyone wanna guess what I got? Guess not. These are consent forms. You'll have to sign one before we can begin."

Naruto was suspicious. "…Why?"

Anko smiled and laughted a bit before answering. She was still smiling happily. "We just wanna cover our backs. We've gotta make sure all the details are covered before the first deaths occur. You have to sign them so we can't be held liable. You wouldn't want me to get in trouble, now would you?" She was still smiling. Some of the applicants began to look worried. 'Deaths?' 'How dangerous is this gonna be?' 'I'll get the first blood!' and along those lines. "Okay, first, I'll explain the exam, and then you can sign these forms for us. With your whole squad, bring your forms over to the hut behind me, and submit them. Okay? Good. Now, about the actual exam. I'll put it simply…" She paused for dramatic effect. "…it's an all-out survival test."

Shikamaru moaned in complaint 'Another one? This is such a drag. I should quit now.' "Hey, can we quit if we think it's too troublesome?"

"No." This received a sigh and a "How troublesome" from Shikamaru. "Now, let me explain the geography of the training ground. I'll explain the rest later." She pulled out a map, showing a circle, with a river running through it, trees everywhere, and a tower in the middle. It had lines around the circle, indicating the 44 gates. There was also a tower in the middle, which seemed to be 10 kilometers from the starting area. "Training ground 44 is bordered by a circular perimeter, which are interrupted at evenly spaced intervals by 44 locked gates. There are forests and a river, and a tower in the center about ten kilometers from the gates. Inside this training area, you'll be taking the survival portion of the exam. During the exam, you may use any ninja technique or weapon you choose."

Everyone went over what they brought, and some cursed themselves for not coming fully armed.

"Okay! Now that that's explained, let's get onto the fun stuff! This is kind of a fight-to-the-death version of capture the flag you played at the academy to train in stealth and strategy and such. Though in this case, it's capture the scroll."

A few people were wondering about the scroll, and some asking about the scrolls, which Anko quickly answered.

"There's a scroll marked with the symbol for 'heaven' on white paper on a white scroll, and a scroll marked with the symbol for 'earth' on white paper and on a black scroll." She showed them the scrolls, the heaven in her right hand and earth in the left. "Your objective is to capture both scrolls. There are eighty-one teams here, so that's twenty-seven three-man squads. That means thirteen heaven scrolls, and fourteen earth scrolls. Uneven? Too bad. You need both scrolls to pass. Your objective is to keep your scroll, and capture, through whatever means, a scroll of the other type from an opposing team, and bring them both to the tower in the center."

"So, that means that over half the teams, those who get their scrolls stolen and the one who has the earth scroll and is left out, all fail the exam." Temari said.

"Bullseye! And along with that, there's a time limit, too. You have 120 hours to get to the tower and complete the exam, which is five days if you suck at math." Several turn to Naruto.

"Five days! That's way too long in a forest!" Ino said.

"What are we going to do? What about lunch time and midnight snacks?" Choji asked.

"That's your problem, not mine. Relax. The forest is full of nature's bounty. Just go out and eat. Of course, just make sure that nature's bounty doesn't eat you. There are many giant animals in the forest…among other things…that will gladly have you for lunch." She explained. "There's no chance that even thirteen teams will pass. As the time shortens, the trials will become harder, faster, and more desparate, with less recovery time for any mistakes, accidents, or injuries. At all times, you'll be completely surrounded by your enemies, so sleep with one eye open, or you'll have your throat cut n your sleep. So, not only will some die defending their scrolls, or capture one, but some will be bound to succumb to exhaustion, exposure, injuries, starvation, dehydration, and heatstroke. Have fun."

Everyone in the crowd was seriously beginning to reconsider this exam, some more than others. "Now let's talk about the rules, and what you can and can't do, and what'll get you disqualified, and no, killing won't get you kicked out." Many genin smirked sadistically at this little fact. "It goes without saying that any team that fails to reach the tower in time, with all three members, with both the heaven and earth scroll, are gone. Same with any team that looses a comrade to death, severe injury, or otherwise. Also, under no circumstances are you to leave the forest until the five days are up. That's right. No breaks, and no time-outs. It's all-out survival. One more little thing. Everyone is forbidden to look at the contents of the scrolls until you're at the tower with all squad members and both scrolls."

Naruto wanted to know what would happen "And…if we sneak a peek?"

Anko smirked "Well, that's really for those who look to know." Naruto looked at her with confusion. "If any of you make it to Chunin level, there will be times when you are entrusted with top-secret documents. Part of this test is testing your trustworthiness. Okay! That's it! We'll trade one scroll for every three forms. When you've got yours, choose a gate and get ready. Everyone goes on my mark. One more word of advice...Stay alive!"

A proctor emerged from the hut, and placed a sheet to cover it. "It's time to distribute the scrolls." He said.

Anko nodded. "Okay! Line up in an orderly fashion behind the curtain! One team enters at a time, you clear?" Everyone nodded. "Well, then why are you standing around? Get in line!" she shouted, and getting the desired effect.

Sasuke was standing in line with his team, thinking about the exam, and how it was set up. 'Pretty smart, keeping us blind. While we're behind the cloth, we can't see who got what scroll. It's just like that Ibiki guy said, stealing intelligence is a matter of life and death. Everyone's an enemy!"

Anko looked at their faces as it began to sink in. 'Heh heh. It's finally sinking in, why we want those forms.'

Naruto's team arrived at the stand, and got their scroll, which was a heaven scroll. They proceeded to gate 12, and waited to begin. Naruto spoke his mind "Yeah! Yeah! We can't lose, now! Anyone attacks us, I'll kill them myself!"

"Oh, please!" Sakura said.

Just then, Anko shouted into a speaker, sounding throughout the area "Part two of the Chunin selection exam begins…NOW!" She shouted.

Naruto's gate flew wide open, and his group walked in. Naruto went in front, balled his hand into a fist and yelled "Alright! Let's go!"

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"_When I said those words, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and what would happen, and how the following events would impact me. I was completely pumped, ready to prove myself to everyone. To say the least, I proved myself, and more."_

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Almost five minutes into the exams, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura heard an ear-splitting yell in the forest. This proved to them that this was the real thing. "You guys hear that scream?" Sakura asked. "This place is really creeping me out!"

"I'm telling ya, Sakura, this is no big deal." Naruto said. They stood there for ten seconds longer, when Naruto made an announcement, unzipping his pants. "Wait a sec. I gotta take a leak."

"Not in front of me, you idiot! I'm a lady! Use the bushes over there!" Sakura yelled, hitting him over the head. 'If it were Sasuke, on the other hand…heh heh heh…'

A minute later, Naruto came out from behind a tree. "Oh, man! Sweet relief! Ready to go!"

Sakura twitched, before yelling at him again "I told you, there's a lady present! Don't you dare use such vulgar language in fron-" She was cut off as Sasuke gave Naruto a hard punch to the right cheek, sending him flying into a tree, bleeding from the mouth.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun, I appreciate the chivalry and all, but that was way too far!" Sakura yelled.

"What the hell was that for, Sasuke!"

"Tell us what you've done with Naruto." Sasuke said, completely serious.

"Where do you think! I'm right in front of you!"

"Then I'll have to force you out of it!" Sasuke yelled, charging at Naruto, pulling out a kunai. Naruto pulled out a kunai in response, standing up. Sasuke made a downward strike with his kunai, which Naruto blocked. They proceeded to exchange blows, neither making contact. Sakura was yelling for the fight to stop, and what Sasuke was doing. Finally, Sasuke made a strike to Naruto's right side, which he blocked, but Sasuke grabbed his wrist, tugged on it, bringing Naruto foreward, at the same time jumping, flipping behind him, and kicking him into another tree.

"Don't try telling us you're Naruto again. It won't work. You're wearing your shuriken and kunai pouch on your left thigh. Naruto's not left-handed. Also, you forgot about the cut the examiner gave Naruto on his left cheek just before the exam. Even Naruto's better at henges than you."

Naruto just snickered while Sakura wondered what happened to Naruto. Naruto then 'poofed' and was surrounded by smoke. Out of it came a guy with a cloth with eye wholes, a white suit, and a mask on his mouth which extracted oxygen from water. His voice was made more metallic from the device. "Since you forced me to come clean, why don't you follow? Where's the scroll and what scroll is it?"

Sasuke and Sakura just stood there, getting ready to fight. "Well, it seems you've forced me to be more direct!" He yelled as he charged the two. Sasuke jumped in the air, and flipped through hand-signs, ending by placing his hand over his mouth, with a whole in the middle, meaning a fire style jutsu was going to be used. "Katon: Housenka nu jutsu!" Sasuke said as multiple fireballs flew out of his mouth. As they impacted the ground, the target managed to evade them all, zigging around their landing points, and avoiding hits. They met in the air, and the clanging of kunais could be heard. His opponent hopped over some branches, and Sasuke followed, also finding the dunce.

"Sasuke! A little help!" Naruto yelled up to him. 'That idiot' Sasuke thought as he threw a kunai at the ground for him to undo his bindings. "Yeah!" Naruto yelled, but he left an opening for himself, which his opponent gladly took advantage of. He threw a barrage of kunai at Sasuke, which hit a tree limb. Sasuke used his chakra to allow him to go under the tree, but he noticed something attached to a kunai. 'A letter bomb!' he thought, releasing his chakra, and falling to the ground, just as the bomb exploded.

The rain nin decided to taunt them "I'm getting better and better. The first mistake you make will be your last. Now, give me the scroll, and I let you live." He said, landing right behind Sasuke, with a kunai held at him.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled.

Just as she said that, a kunai whizzed through the trees, heading for the rain nin, which forced him to jump upwards. "You're not getting away with out a fight!" Naruto yelled.

"Late as usual, dope!" Sasuke yelled. His foot went over the kunai, and using his chakra made it stick to his shoe. He did a round kick, and flung it at the rain nin in the air. Sasuke jumped up to meet him, and grabbed the kunai, still on its way to the target, and plunged it into the rain nin, damaging his arm.

"Sasuke…" Sakura said gently.

"He left me no choice! Now we gotta keep moving! We don't know where his squad is! Got it? Keep standing there, and it's a one-way ticket to the shinigami!"

The rain nin had no choice but to retreat for the time. "Damn! I though coming alone would conceal my presence, but it's been my downfall!" He said before he retreated through the trees.

"Good" Sasuke said.

Later, in the forest, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were discussing a strategy as to avoid events like that again. Sasuke came up with a solution first.

"Okay, remember this. If we ever get separated again, we can't trust each other blindly! It could end up just like last time."

"But…how can we do that, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

"Simple. The safest thing for us to have is a password, one that no one else knows. That way, we'll know each other, and when someone is faking, no matter what kind of henge they used to alter their appearance. If they get it wrong, they're the enemy. Now listen carefully. I'm only gonna say this once. This is a poem called Ninki, or ninja opportunity in the unformal way. When we ask for it, this is what we say:"

Below them, in the earth, was a grass ninja, using a tube for air, listening to their every word. "We thrive on the chaos of the enemy tide. Quiet shinobi don't need dens to hide. Our only concern is to watch and wait, until the enemy lowers the gate."

"Got it." Sakura said. Naruto just stared at them with a blank face, before bursting out his opinion.

"How do you expect me to remember that!"

"You really are a dunce. I already got it down." Sakura said.

"Well Excuuuuuse me for not being the smartest person in class. We need a better password! An easier one! How about swordfish?"

Sasuke stood up, ignoring Naruto "I'll take the scroll." He said. Suddenly, a hail of grass flew at them, followed by a large wind gust. Before they could say anything, they were scattered throughout the area. The grass nin appeared; the one with the giant tongue told the other two to wait, saying it would be fun.

Sasuke had immediately recovered from the blast, and had taken cover under a bush. He heard footsteps, and saw Sakura walking near him. "Sakura…" he said, standing up.

"Sasuke-kun! You're okay!"

"Wait, stay back. Don't come a step closer. First, the password. What is it?"

"Right, Ninki." Sakura said, knowing it was Sasuke from the fact that he knew about the password. "We thrive on the chaos of the enemy tide. Quiet shinobi don't need dens to hide. Our only concern is to watch and wait, until the enemy lowers the gate."

"Good." Sasuke said.

"Hey! There you guys are!" Naruto said, emerging form the forest.

"Not so fast, Naruto. The password?" Sasuke said.

"Oh yeah, right! Ninki! We thrive on the chaos of the enemy tide. Quiet shinobi don't need dens to hide. Our only concern is to watch and wait, until the enemy lowers the gate."

Sakura let out a relieved sigh. Sasuke just smirked, and flung a kunai at Naruto. Naruto managed to dodge it, leaving a confused Sakura and an angry Naruto.

"Sasuke-kun, what was that for? Naruto got the password right!" Sakura yelled.

"Exactly, and he dodged my attack by a mile." Sasuke pointed out.

"Wait a second, he's right!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto just grinned evily, and transformed back into the grass nin. "Well done. What gave me away?"

Sasuke smirked. "I knew you were listening to us underground, listening to our every word, and I knew you'd go after Naruto. That's why I chose that kind of password, the kind the real Naruto could never memorize. You lose, imposter!"

The nin took off his hat, and glared at them, with an evil smirk still on his lips. "I see. You sure do know your comrades well, don't you. Watch and wait, huh? This is gonna be fun, alright!"

Elsewhere in the forest, Naruto was still recovering from the blast. He was on the ground, groaning in pain. Suddenly he heard a noise coming from behind him. He noticed he was completely in shadow, and soon saw why. Before him stood a huge snake, its head alone was bigger than Naruto. I've never seen a snake that big in my life!' Naruto screamed mentally. 'What's up with this forest?' They had a short glare, and Naruto summoned his courage.

The snake decided to begin their fight with a strike at Naruto. Naruto managed to jump out of the way, but failed to notice the tail end of the snake behind him. It grabbed his foot, but Naruto quickly pulled out a kunai and slashed it, making the snake release him. He tried running up the snake's back to it's head, but only managed to reach a third of the way by the time the snake reacted. It rolled over, forcing Naruto to run along its side. Suddenly, the snake switched, and Naruto tumbled off. The snake saw its chance, and lunged at Naruto, successfully swallowing him.

"What the hell! The snake ate me! IT ATE ME!" Naruto yelled, still inside the snake.

Back with the others, Sasuke couldn't believe that Naruto was caught, again! 'If this was the real Naruto, he'd have said something stupid like "What was the password again?" This is not good. This one gives me the creeps. Where is that idiot Naruto anyway?'

Sasuke had the same question in mind. "Where's Naruto? What have you done with him?" he demanded.

The grass nin just smirked and replied "Wouldn't you like to know. Anyway, aern't you looking for an earth scroll?" He asked, holding his out. "Very well." He said, before swallowing the whole scroll in one gulp, wrapping his tongue around it. Sasuke and Sakura just stared in disbelief. "Now, let's see just who will be stealing from who. From this point on, we fight to the death!" he said.

Suddenly, Sakura and Sasuke were frozen, and weren't able to move. They felt as though they were being ripped to shreds, and had been impaled by kunai everywhere. Blood was flying off their bodies, and limps everywhere. Pain coursed through their bodies. Suddenly, everything just stopped. Sasuke suddenly puked, realizing the truth. He sat down again, in a defenseless position, and was unable to move.

'That wasn't actually death, but it sure felt like it. It was just genjutsu the whole time, and a good one at that. A perfect illusion of death. We just looked into his eyes, and felt everything! Ju-just who the hell is he?' He looked over at Sakura, and noticed she was paralyzed with fear, tears running down her cheeks.

Sasuke panicked. 'Crap! If we don't retreat now, then it's all over! The only other option is death, and I can't let that happen!'

"It looks like you two are paralyzed. That just makes my job all the easier." He said, before pulling out two kunai, preparing to kill.

Back with Naruto, he was yelling at the snake about letting him go. "Hey, hey you! Let me outta here, or I'll beat the crap out of you. Let me out now, and I'll spare you, okay!" Needless to say, the snake ignored him. It was enjoying a lovely nap, digesting its meal.

'Crap! I gotta get out of here before I'm snake chow, but how? I gotta make it hurl, but how do I do that?' Suddely, Naruto remembered his and Sasuke's little eating competition, and remembered what eating too much did. 'That's it!' "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" he yelled, creating over a hundred clones inside the snake. The snake quickly awoke, and tried to keep its food down, but couldn't and hurled all the clones out, including the real one. The real Naruto dismissed the clones, and stepped up. "I'm the ninja who's gonna surpass the Hokages, so don't mess with me! I got more important things than become a piece of snake crap!" He yelled, before noticing that the snake wasn't dead. "Ooooooooh boy…"

Sasuke was worried. He could hardly move, and Sakura couldn't move at all. He had to think of something quick, and he did. 'If I can just get this kunai out, the maybe…' he thought, positioning the kunai near his leg, and stabbing it. This brought him out of his trance long enough to grab Sakura and jump out of there before the man threw the kunai.

'This guy is far above genin level, that's sure enough. No genin can pull that off.' He though as he hid in a tree with Sakura. He proceded to remove the kunai from his leg, once he thought it was safe to do so. He began looking around, thinking, Sharingan activated. Sakura snapped out of her daze and noticed what had just happened, and looked shocked.

The grass nin looked around amused. He noticed some blood, and became aware as to what happened. He smirked in amusement. 'So, the boy managed to stab himself so he could focus on the pain long enough to block out the illusion! This kid is more than I expected. Definitely above the common prey!'

Back with Naruto, Naruto was trying to outrun the snake, but was just barely keeping ahead. He didn't have a technique that could take this on. The best he had was kage bunshin, but they couldn't do anything against a giant snake. 'This is bad, real bad' Naruto thought, jumping into a tree to buy himself time. 'If I don't do something fast, that's it, I'm done for!'

Naruto was desperately thinking, when he noticed something in the forest. There was a metal object in the ground, facing up. The sun was gleaming off it. Whatever it was, one thing was for sure: it was big. It was at least a hundred yards away, and he had to think fast. 'Like I have a choice. If I do nothing, I'm done for anyway. Oh well, here goes!'

Naruto ran down from the top of the tree and landed on the ground, running all out for the metal object. The snake disengaged itself from the branches, which in its case, meant braking every branch around it and falling to the ground, and going for the boy. It was gaining on him quickly.

'This is soooo not good. It's catching up. I need speed and lots of it, or it's over!' and, as if responding to Naruto's pleas, something inside him sent him a hot feeling through his legs, he managed to gain an extra burst of speed. He reached the metal object, and gasped. He stood there for a few seconds, clearly in shock of what he saw.

In the ground stood a giant sword, and it really was giant. It had have a blade nearly a foot wide and at least four-and-a-half feet long at the tip. The unsharpened back of the blade was the part four-and-a-half feet long. The sharpened edge of the blade was just over four feet long. Both points met via a sharpened part of the top, which made the top look like a triangle. The tip at the top looked sharp and as if it could stab through anything. The back of the blade was a dark grey color, and had two holes near the bottom. The sharpened edge of the sword was a shining steel color, and looked like it was ready to cut. The area where the blade met the handle was a shining sand-color, with various designs interlaid. The handle was about a foot long and covered in red material, and had a pommel the same color as the sand-colored guard.

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"_When I found that weapon, I was relieved. It was big enough to destroy the snake. That sword would save my life many times in the future. However, at the time, I had no idea what the power I used to get it was, or what the true abilities of the sword were. All I knew was that the sword was there when I needed it. I had no idea that the sword really had come when I needed it."_

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Naruto got out of his short trance and grabbed the blade, and it was heavy! He managed to pick it up and get into a stance, but knew he couldn't hold it long. The blade was pure steel! No normal ninja could use a blade like this effectively! He even heard the seven swordsmen of the mist had other lighter materials in their blades so they could use them effectively, which meant they constantly needed to be repaired. Whoever used this must have had super-human strength.

'Damnit! This thing is my last hope, and I can barely lift it! I need more strength to swing it, but where do I get that! I'm done for now!' Just then, that same feeling that was once in his legs went all over his body, giving him the strength to wield it. 'Where does this keep coming from? Does it have something to do with my eye?' Any further thoughts were cut off by the snake charging at him at full speed.

The snake made for a strike, but Naruto jumped to the side, swinging the blade, he struck the snake in the side, causing it to move away slightly from the pain. 'This thing's incredible. I can't wait to see Sasuke's face when he sees this! I'm keeping this!' he thought excitedly.

The snake came around for another strike, mouth open. Naruto jumped up, did a flip in the air, and landed on the snake's back, which was still moving from the strike, and plunged his sword into it. The snake tried to buck him off, but Naruto jumped, and landed on his head. Using his chakra to stick to its head, he lined his sword up for the killing blow, and plunged it strait into the gaint snake's brain. The snake went limp, before poofing out of existence, leaving Naruto in midair. He wailed for a moment, limbs flailing, and fell to the ground "Hey! Ahh! Woah! Noo! Oof!" He said as he landed, next to his sword.

He stood up, admiring his new blade for a second. From its size and shape, he labeled it a buster blade, due to the massively oversized blade. He realized that the blade was slightly taller than him! 'This is gonna be a problem…' Naruto used some rope he had to tie the sword to his back, with the knot in front, and with the blade at an angle so the handle was just above his head and the blade was a few inches from the ground. It was a lot easier than carrying it in hand. He was almost five foot, so it fit well enough. 'But I'm still the shortest. Damn!'

He took some time wondering about the power he had. When he needed new strength and his life was in danger, he got it, like now, the first exam, and his fight with Haku, so any fights that were life-threatening. 'Soooooo how do I activate it? Is it a bloodline? But usually bloodlines are controllable. Mine isn't. Oh well, whatever. I got it, and that's all that matters.' He thought. He also realized the snake had to have been a summon, by the way it poofed out of existence once he made the killing blow.

"Anyway, I'd better find Sasuke and Sakura. That snake sure was a pain in the ass!" He said as he jumped off into the forest to find his teammates.

"Sasuke-kun, please speak to me-" Sakura was cut off when Sasuke covered her mouth.

'We've got to remain quiet and get moving. If we stay here, he'll catch us again. The real question is how we evade him…uh…umm…how should we do that? How can we run?...' Sasuke thought, sweating from stress.

Sakura was looking worriedly as Sasuke 'Sasuke-kun is so jumpy. I've never seen him like this before.' She thought, just when she saw something. She tried to speak, but Sasuke's hand was still over her mouth. "Mmmmmmmm! MMMMMMMMMMM!" she said, but it came out muffled. She managed to pry Sasuke's hand off and yell "SNAAAAKE!"

Sasuke turned in time to see a giant snake about to strike. Both of them jumped away, but the snake decided to go after Sasuke. 'Whoa! My chi is completely out of whack! I even overlooked a giant snake! Suddenly, Sasuke looked into the snake's eyes, and saw the grass ninja staring at him. He freaked out. "AAAAAH! GET LOST!" he yelled, throwing a barrage of shuriken at the snake, ripping its face to shreds. The snake fell onto a branch, dead. Sasuke landed, panting. Suddenly, both of them stared in shock as the snake ripped open near the head, and the grass nin stood up.

"For shame, actually lowering your guard! Stay alert and ready, like good prey! It makes the chase so much fun when the prey fights back…for the predator!" The grass nin began going up the tree in a snake-like manner. It was heading for Sasuke. Just as it made its fourth pass up the tree, the nin stopped as a barrage of shuriken and kunai hit the area of the tree where he has headed to. Everyone looked up to see the attacker.

"Sorry, Sasuke. I can't remember the stupid password!" Naruto said, with his hand on his sword.

"Nice, Naruto!" Sakura yelled. Naruto just stood there, smirking. The grass nin looked surprised, slightly angry, but unworried.

Sasuke yelled out "Naruto, even if you're psyched to save the day, this guy is way out of out league! It's time to run four our lives! There's no other choice!" None of them could see the sword on his back from the distance, except for the grass nin.

"Heh heh. My compliments for your stunning defeat of the giant snake, Naruto-kun. That's quite impressive. Tell me, where did you get that giant sword?"

"Huh?" "What Sword" Sasuke and Sakura asked. Naruto stared and said "So you can see it? Heh. I was gonna use it on my grand entrance, so I will!" Naruto yelled, undoing the knot in front of him, and releasing his sword. He grabbed the hilt and swung it around as he jumped down. He aimed a strike at the snake man, but he merely dodged it. The sword slammed into the branch, completely cutting through the two-foot-thick branch. Naruto managed to plant his sword on a branch below, Near Sasuke and Sakura. He got up and held his sword in an attack stance that he saw before, with his feet like a box and the sword held up, ready to block or strike.

Sasuke and Sakura stood in shock. They stared at the giant sword and what it had done. Sasuke was the first to speak "Naruto…where did you get that?" he asked. Sakura wanted to know too.

"You want the truth? I found it when running from a giant snake, and I cut it to bits! Why, jealous that I've got something you can't copy, Sasuke?" Naruto exaggerated, but this was one thing he had that Sasuke didn't: Great talent in kendo.

"Blade or no blade, the outcome will still be the same. You can't win. Still, I'm impressed. That blade is made of pure metal, not even the seven swordsmen of the mist could wield that blade with the same effectiveness of motion. You must have abnormal strength to wield it correctly. This only makes the game more fun." The grass nin said sadistically.

Sasuke was still worried. Even if Naruto could wield it, he only just found it, and didn't have the proper training to use it. They still had no chance 'I gotta think of something fast! This is all I got…' Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan, and took out their heaven scroll. Everyone looked at him, wondering what he was doing. "Hey, you came for our scroll, right? Here. Just take it and go!"

"WHAT!" Naruto yelled, lowering his sword in disbelief.

"Huh?" Sakura said.

Naruto continued "Sasuke, what the hell are you doing! Is this apart of a clever strategy for beating him? By handing over our ticket to the tower!"

The grass nin smirked "Well well…it seems you're naturally born prey after all, knowing that your only hope for survival lies in the predator being distracted by some tastier treat."

Sasuke submitted "Fine. Here it is." He said, tossing the scroll. Naruto obviously didn't agree with this, and jumped as fast as he could to intercept the scroll. He grabbed it and landed next to Sasuke, placing the scroll in his pocket. "Stay out of this, dope! You'll ruin our chance!" Naruto just stared down darkly, before punching Sasuke in the face as hard as he could, which Sasuke managed to slightly dodge, but because of Naruto's amplified strength, it still hurt! Sasuke managed to recover and land on a nearby branch. "What the hell are you doing!"

Sasuke stared in shock "Naruto, what are you doing?"

Naruto just said angrily "I forgot the stupid password, so I can't prove it, but that alone was proof enough. The person I just hit is obviously not Sasuke!

"What!" Sakura gasped.

"Naruto, you dope! It is me!"

"But the crap, whoever you are!" Naruto said before continuing. "You're the dope, you dope! You're a coward. Sasuke's no coward! There's no way you're him! I'm not so sure we need to be afraid of this guy, but even if we just hand over our scroll, do you really think that's a guarantee he'll let us live! So, even if you really were Sasuke, I'd still be telling you you're a dope, and a chicken, too!"

The grass nin laughed "Oh, Naruto, this is rich, and you're right!" he said, licking his face with his giant, slimy tongue. "Why bargain, when it's far more fun to simply take the scroll by killing you?" he said, before biting his thumb and running the blood down his right arm along a snake-like tattoo.

Naruto became clearly enraged and charged at the man. "Shut up!"

"Don't do it, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled.

"Even Sasuke-kun couldn't hurt him! You don't stand a chance!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto was even angrier now. He held his sword, preparing to strike 'That's it, my feelings for Sakura…my faith in Sasuke…are nothing but shattered glass on the floor!' he thought 'They don't even encourage me! They don't help me! They don't care!'

The grass nin finished his jutsu "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" and he was suddenly surrounded by smoke. When it cleared, he was standing on top of a giant snake, even bigger than before. It lashed its tail out, and before Naruto could react, it sent him flying into the trees behind him, crashing through branches. If it wasn't for his incredible stamina, he'd have stopped right then. He finally struck a tree, and coughed up blood. He began falling, and the grass nin told his snake "Excellent. Now, let's finish this. Eat him." He said sadistically. Suddenly, Naruto's grip on the sword returned, and he regained most of his monstrous strength, his hair gained silver highlights, and his left eye went red with a slit, and the right turned pure red, giving off an evil glow. He landed right next to Sasuke and Sakura, head facing down. Just before the snake struck, he looked up, revealing a look of rage, and his evil eyes. Sasuke and Sakura stared in shock, at a complete loss for words.

The snake tried to eat Naruto, but he jumped, and the snake went between Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto was in the air, preparing to strike the snake. However, the grass nin blew a gust of chakra-enhanced wind at him, stopping his attack completely, and sending him into a tree twenty hards away. The enemy ninja stared. Those eyes…one he could have expected, but he'd never seen an eye like that red glowing one. It was on another level compared to Kyubi.

"Is this really Naruto?" Sasuke asked, still staring.

Just then, the grass nin ordered the snake to take out Sasuke. Sasuke was still frozen in fear and shock. The snake plowed through the tree branches, and was just about to his Sasuke when an orange blur blocked it. He held back the strength of the snake, his sword still in his right hand, and was panting, his blond/silver hair covering his face. The grass nin looked impressed.

After a few seconds, Naruto spoke to Sasuke, who stood frozen mere feet from him. "Hey, you okay…" Everyone was looking at him. "…you big chicken!" Sasuke just stood there, remembering the time he called Naruto that. They were even.

The grass nin was looking amused. "So, looks like I have to go through you first, Naruto-kun." the nin said, adding the friendly title to tell him he was a worthy opponent. "Come" he said, his snake moving back and preparing to attack.

Naruto didn't need more than a second before he jumped to meet it in the air. The snake lunged at him, its mouth open, ready to swallow. Naruto had his sword trailing behind him. The snake was about to swallow him, when Naruto moved in midair to the side of the snake, and slashed his sword so hard, the entire head fell off. The grass nin now had a look of true shock on his face. Not many could do that, and NO genin had ever made a scratch on this level of snake. 'This is no ordinary kid. This may be a bit of a challenge.'

The grass nin jumped off the snake before it poofed out of existence, and prepared to attack the boy. Naruto raised his giant sword, and swung it at the snake nin, but the guy used shunshin no jutsu to body flicker away to a tree, and Naruto followed. He used shunshin no jutsu again and appeared behind Naruto, and aimed a strike at him, but missed as Naruto jumped onto his arm, and did a front flip, trying to slice him in two. He nearly succeeded, and took off a lot more than one strand of hair. The grass nin didn't look worried, until he noticed something. 'His strength keeps rising. This is getting bad. I'll be facing jounin before I get out of this forest, so I can't use even a quarter of my chakra on him. I have to finish this fast. The kyubi must be supplying him that power. I may not know about that other power, but if I seal off the Kyubi, then it should cause enough of a shock to his chakra circulatory system to knock him out. I wonder what that power is.' The nin thought.

The grass nin prepared a jutsu once he was far enough to prepare it. He prepared Gogyo Fuin, and each of his fingertips on his right hand held a blue fire, one for each of the five elements. Just as Naruto came at him, he pulled his shirt up and slammed his right hand into the boys gut, where the seal was etched. A new pattern with five symbols appeared around it, and Naruto lost conciousness. He released his sword when he was hit, sending it into the three about fifteen yards away, facing out. The grass nin, done with Naruto, threw him away, just over his shoulder, sending him to the floor of the forest. Sakura and Sasuke were about to do something, but they didn't have to. A blur of yellow intercepted Naruto and threw him onto the sword. None of them knew what just happened, and were on their toes for nearly a minute.

'The yellow flash?' the grass nin thought 'No, he died years ago. What was it?' After that time passed, he decided to let it pass for now, and focus his attention on the other two. "Looks like your friend got lucky. However, you won't be!"

Sakura was getting angry, surprisingly at Sasuke "Sasuke! Naruto may be nothing like you. He's lazy, an idiot, and can hold us back, but at least he's got guts! Naruto's no coward, right!" Sakura yelled, not adding the kun for the second time since entering the forest.

Sasuke concentrated for a second, thinking heavily about something, remembering why he was doing this, and what his goal was. He wasn't going to lose it now. 'NO! If I can't take this guy on now, then what chance would I stand against him!' he yelled in his head, and activating his Sharingan. He pulled out four kunai in his right hand, and a windmill shuriken in his left, crossing his extended arms, and placing another kunai in his mouth. 'Maybe I've been the dunce the whole time. Thank you, Naruto…Sakura…for showing me that. I've got a plan. I've got to survive this, or I'll never avenge my clan.'

Sasuke jumped into the air, hurling the Kunai at the grass nin, which he dodged, and the kunai landed in the branches. Sasuke grabbed onto a tree, and using his hand, circled around it hurling the windmill shuriken at the enemy, which he jumped over. Sasuke followed by enhancing a kunai with his chakra, and flinging it at the grass nin, who simply tilted his head to the side. The grass nin was clearly admiring his ability to see is ever move.

Suddenly, the grass nin noticed a string attached to his hands and mouth, one in each. He saw that it was a trap, that the kunais were hanging in the air, with the string preventing his escape, and the windmill shuriken circling back at him. 'A three-pronged attack! Incredible! But…' he thought, as he caught the shuriken with his mouth, surprising everyone. 'It still isn't enough. Still, he perceived my escape routes and closed them. Very impressive.' "Such a shame it didn't work." He said, just noticing the hand signs he was making. 'Uh oh!'

"Katon: Ryuuka no jutsu!" Sasuke shouted, suddenly sprouting fire everywhere, and focusing it along the wire and sending it right into the grass nin's face, making it burst in to flames. Both Sasuke and Sakura expected him to be dead, but suddenly, just as Sakura reached Sasuke, they both became paralyzed. They looked and saw the man, still sanding, with a burned face, but seemingly unharmed.

"To think that one so young has such mastery over the Sharingan. You are truly a worthy successor to the honored Uchiha clan! I believe I do want you after all." He said as he placed his hand on his forehead protector, causing it to steam, and after removing his hand, he revealed a sound headband. "It was marvelous fun, having you show me your tricks. You really are his brother, aren't you? Your eyes have powers even your brother doesn't have, and even more when you receive training. You're interesting, all right."

Sasuke was afraid, and shouted "Just who the hell are you!"

"My name is Orochimaru, the Giant snake. If you'd like a rematch, then pass this exam as fast as you can!" He said as he burned their scroll. "NO!" Sakura yelled. "I'll see you again. I'm sure of it. That is, if you manage to defeat the three sound ninja who answer to me."

"What do you mean! We never want to see you again!" Sakura yelled.

"Perhaps, but not all hopes and dreams come true." Orochimaru said, forming a hand sign, and causing his neck to grow, flying towards Sasuke with fangs out, and biting into the left part of Sasuke's rear-neck. When he rose, three comma-like marking appeared on his neck, much like the Sharingan. Sasuke began feeling intense pain, and fell over as the paralysis wore off. "I'm looking forward to our next meeting, Sasuke-kun. I just left you a little something to remember me by. We'll meet again." He said, before disappearing into the ground.

Sasuke was on the ground, in extreme pain. It was throbbing inside of him, spreading throughout his body. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he yelled, falling to his hands and knees. Sakura knelt by him, trying to comfort him. She began to sob for him as he fell closer to the ground.

"Naruto, Sasuke is…" she stopped, noticing Naruto was still on his sword, unconscious with his back against the tree. Blood was falling from his lips. Sasuke fell unconscious on the branch. Sakura decided to get them to safety for them to recover. She noticed an area under an above-ground root and decided to use that as a shelter. First, she took Sasuke down, placing his head on his pack as a pillow, and used some of her water to wet a cloth, and removing his headband, placed it on his forehead, which was warming up.

After that, she went back for Naruto, who was still safely on the branch. First, she grabbed Naruto, taking him down and doing the same thing for him that she did for Sasuke. After he was safe, she went back for his new sword, which was still stuck in the tree. She managed to pull the sword out, but she had to focus more chakra to her feet to stay on, and the sword went straight down, her barely being able to hold it. 'How does he carry this thing like he does?' she asked herself. 'It must be because of his incredible stamina and strength.' She dragged the sword over to Naruto and placed it beside him. She noticed Sasuke was breathing heavily, and had a high fever. 'I…I have to protect them both, no matter what.' She thought. She didn't notice the sound warriors, waiting for dawn to come to attack.

Naruto was inside a dimly lit corridor, covered in a thin layer of water, which was continuously leaking from above. "Where am I?" Naruto asked himself. Pipes covered the ceiling, and lights were on the bottom of the floor, and shadows on top. He heard a roar come from behind him, and it echoed around the corridor. He felt two evil auras coming from that area. He knew what one was. He wondered what the other one was. He decided to find out. He walked for about a minute, before coming to two hallways, one on each side of the main hallway. From the right one, he sensed incredible evil. From the left was another incredibly evil chakra, but it was less evil than the one to the right. He took the path to the left, having an idea as to what was too the right. He walked down the corridor for another minute, wondering what this lesser evil was. When he arrived, he was shocked at what he saw: a giant gate with a seal tag in the middle.

'What?' Naruto thought. What was behind this gate? He heard a deep, evil voice coming from it. "**Come closer**." Naruto did as he was told, not knowing anything else to do. When he was a few feet away, three giant claws came at him, barely missing him. He fell to the floor in shock. "**I want to rip you apart, but this damn seal won't let me. Such a pity.**" it said as a huge face with great fangs and evil red eyes. Naruto suddenly knew he chose the wrong path. If the lesser evil was Kyubi, then what was the greater evil?

"Y-you're the Kyubi, right?"

"**Correct, brat**."

Naruto had to know "What happened? Am I inside my mind?"

"**Perhaps I shall explain. I shall need your help. Yes, this is a part of your mind, where my mind exists, among other things. I brought you here because I need your assistance**."

"What kind of assistance is that?"

"**When** **you arrived here, you sensed two charkas, right? Both evil, but one less than the other, correct?**"

"…Yes"

"**And you went down the path with the lesser evil, right?**"Naruto nodded.** "Of course you did. That's how you ended up here. The other is a greater evil, one that even I fear.**"

Naruto was in shock. "What evil could be so great that even the kyubi feared it?"

"**I've never encountered it, with the exception of one: Yondaime Hokage!**" The kyubi shouted it because of his hatred for the man that sealed him within this idiot. "**This evil…is beyond me. Ever since you were a child, I've been holding it back, keeping it from consuming you, for my sake. This power would absorb me, and would take over your body**."

"Then what's the problem? It's no big deal, just keep holding it back. What's the big deal?" Naruto questioned.

"**The power has been able to seep past me, at times. Remember when you were fighting Haku, and your hair, eye, and skin changed, with various other effects? Very few were caused by me. I gave you a small portion of my power, but the other power gave you far more because of that little break of my chakra. The same happened during the first exam. Some of it broke through, and during the second exam, while fighting the snake and that Orochimaru**."

"Okay, but what's the big problem now? It may leak every now and then, but what's the big deal? It's still only small amounts of power."

"**That's not the real problem. Orochimaru sealed away my ability to send Chakra throughout your body. That means that nothing is keeping the power at bay. Even now, it's slowly transforming your body. You have no control right now. It just took over your body. That's what sent you here, because your real mind has been sealed inside your own body. The evil power is now in control of your body. Personally, I'd rather have you in control, because that other presence is going to turn everyone against you. I have sensed something. It lives to kill, from what I have determined**."

"If it's taken over my body, what's it doing with it? Can you show me?"

"**Of course I can show you. Although, you may not like it. I can't wait to see you squirm. I just hope you regain control of your body before they're forced to kill us. If your body dies, so do I, though I hate to admit it. If you do regain control, you must fight the power to keep it at bay while remaining in control until I can regain access to your chakra circulatory system. Now, let me show you what the other power is doing with your body.**"

The Kyubi showed him a vision of the outside world. The Kyubi had learned to create a technique that allowed him to see into the outside world, to protect himself, and give his chakra to the boy when his life was in danger so that he wouldn't die himself. He showed Naruto the vision, which caused the boy to back away in fear. It was the sound nins, fighting the other genin. Sasuke was getting up, surrounded by purple Chakra and black fire-like lines spreading like fire around his body. But that wasn't what scared Naruto. He was looking at himself. His body was changing, dramatically.

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"_That sight, and what happened there, haunt me even now. It showed me what I was dealing with, that there were worse things than having the Kyubi sealed inside you, but most importantly, it showed me what I could have become."_

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Earlier…

Sakura had been up all night, nodding off sleep whenever she got drowsy. She couldn't fall asleep now. She had to protect both of them. Naruto was fine, he was just unconscious. Sasuke, on the other hand, had a high fever, and was breathing raggedly. She was worried. She'd been awake all night, and neither had woken up.

Suddenly, she heard a sound behind her. She gripped her kunai, and turned around, only to see a squirrel. 'A squirrel? I'm way to jumpy.' Suddenly, the squirrel ran towards her, and she threw a kunai at it when she noticed it was getting too close to her. 'That was close. It almost sprung the trap.'

Sakura waited there until the sun began to rise, when she heard another rustle in the leaves. She turned around, expecting another squirrel, but instead saw the three sound nin they'd seen earlier. The one with the large cloak spoke for the group.

"Heh. Been staying up all night on guard, eh? Well, you're off duty now. Just wake up Sasuke for us. We want to take him on, now."

"Wha-what are you talking about! I know some guy named Orochimaru is the one who's been pulling the strings behind the scenes, so what do you want!" Sakura yelled, her hand reaching for a kunai. The sound nin stared in shock 'Orochimaru was here?' "What's this mark on Sasuke. And with Sasuke in this condition, you want to fight him! Get out of here now! Go!"

"…This is unexpected. I wonder what Orochimaru is doing…" Sakura stared, wondering what they were talking about.

The one with the word death on his shirt spoke next. "Whatever. I can't walk away after hearing something like that! I'll destroy you, girl, and your little friends, too." Sakura just waited, determined to protect them.

"Wait, Zaku"

"Wha? Why?"

Sakura knew what the cloaked guy was talking about. He kneeled, and began lifting the ground up. "Someone's been setting booby traps, but such poor technique. You've left evidence everywhere that warns the enemy.

"How amateurish!" Zaku said.

"Well, the girl is no use to us. She only threw the kunai to stop the squirrel from setting them off. Well then, we'll just have to eliminate her first. The rest are easy prey." With that said, the three jumped in the air. Sakura smirked, and cut a wire attached to a kunai, bringing down a giant log attached to a vine on the sound nin.

"A log! So, the trap was above us all along." He said as the log approached them. The cloaked one simply placed his hand with the device on it on the log, and made a hand sign with his left, blasting a whole for them in the log, leaving a shocked Sakura.

"You really have no talent, you know that? You should've stopped dogging and worked at it. It's an insult to be underestimated by losers like you!" he shouted, preparing to drop on the girl and blow her apart. Sakura just froze there, with a tear in here eye, before…

"KONOHA SENPU!" a green figure yelled, kicking the sound nin out of their path in a circular movement, and sending them flying back. The green blur landed in front of Sakura, with his right hand held out, as if inviting them, and his left tucked behind his back. The squirrel from earlier was on his shoulder. "Look who's talking. Try taking your own advice to heart!"

'Whoa…it's that guy with the bad haircut.' Sakura thought.

"Who are you?" the cloaked sound nin asked.

"Konoha's handsome beast, Rock Lee!"

"Where did you come from?" Sakura asked.

Lee took the squirrel off his shoulder. "I came because you needed me, and I always will! Actually, one of the reasons is my little friend here. He had an explosive tag on him, and I decided to investigate. Thankfully, I arrived in time to help you."

Sakura wiped a tear from her eye and smiled at Lee. "I don't know how to thank you. You saved my life."

"I promised when I met you, remember? To protect you, till death do us part!" Sakura remembered Lee saying that, doing the good-guy pose. 'Yes! I understand, Gui-sensei.' Lee thought.

"Well, it looks like we have to fight you, too. It can't be helped." He tossed Zaku their earth scroll. "This guy's mine!" He said, charging at Lee, and jumping into the air when Sakura threw a kunai.

'This is bad. It looks like Sakura is out of stamina, staying up all night. Even her Kunai was off.' Lee thought, plunging his arm into the ground, and bringing it up just before the sound nin reached them, bringing up a giant root with him, which stopped the sound nin in his tracks. "These attacks are illusions, right? So it'd be a waste of time dodging them as if they were real. I've seen you use those moves before. Bad move."

'He's…strong…' was all Sakura could think.

'Still, it's one vs. three, so they hold the advantage. It may be a gamble, but if I can take them down one at a time, then I should be strong enough to beat them.' Lee began to undo his bandages, preparing to fight. 'Gui-sensei, I'm sure the time has come to use the forbidden technique you taught me, and go all-out! I'm defending the life of someone important to me!'

The sound nin was just about to attack him, when he disappeared. "Where is he?" Just as he thought that, Lee appeared underneath him, on his right hand and foot, kicking him upwards in the chin with his left, and jumping into the air to meet him. "I'm not done yet!" Lee shouted. He wrapped his bandages around the enemy and began to swirl them in around, preparing to plow him into the ground "Take this!" Lee shouted, plowing him into the ground "OMOTE RENGE!" Lee shouted as they hit the ground. Lee jumped away. 'This does not feel good…' When the smoke cleared, Dosu was in a crater, but he was getting out. "What?" Lee said.

"Well, looks like I made it. Dosu looks fine" Zaku said, with his hands in the ground.

The other guy had gotten out of the crater, and Lee was horrified. 'No way!'

"What a powerful technique! I landed on a pillow of soft soil Zaku made, and it still nearly ended me! Well, It looks like it's my turn. I'll pay you back for the damage you did!" He said, revealing his sound device.

'This is not good. That last move just drained me. I'm running on empty!'

Dosu charged at Lee, who just barely dodged. Yet, he couldn't dodge the sound waves that Dosu sent at him. Lee fell to the ground, finding it hard to balance. "Your moves are fast, I'll admit that, but mine are supersonic! Muscles alone can't break down walls of sound."

Lee was on the ground, trying to recover. Suddenly, just like Lee, just like Kabuto, puked on the ground, and began bleeding from his left ear. 'What happened?' Lee said, trying to cover his ear from further damage. "What did you do?"

"I guess I'll tell you. It's this appliance on my arm. You see, it prevents you from blocking my attacks." Lee just continued to sit there, trying to recover.

"What did you use on Lee!" Sakura asked, still in shock.

Dosu just laughed for a few seconds, before answering "It's sound! Even if you block the punch, the sound waves will reach you. Do you understand? Sound is different because of its fundamental nature."

'Sound?' Lee thought.

"The vibrations." Sakura asked, seeing the truth.

"Precisely. When you hear a sound, it's actually those vibrations which are displacing the air, which tremble against your eardrum. The human eardrum-the tympanic membrane-ruptures when exposed to sound levels in excess of 150 phones. Moreover, if the sound is powerful enough to upset the liquid within the semi-circular canals of the deepest inner ear, it becomes impossible for you to maintain your balance. Heh heh. Just so you know, it'll take some time before your equilibrium returns."

Zaku decided to taunt him. "So, you see, crude, old-fasioned arts such as taijutsu just won't cut it against us." Lee glared at him. "You did start off well, though. It's rare for a foe to reveal the true nature of my techniques, but the tides have turned against you, now! I can wield sound waves as a weapon, with enough force to crush entire boulders! And, with a mere thought, I can use sound waves to force air into the earth beneath me, transforming rock-hard soil into soil as soft as a pillow, far more elegant and effective than your crude application of brute force."

Sakura looked worried, and lee just glared, also growing afraid. 'Dang.' Tears started falling down his face.

Dosu charged at Sakura "And now, it's your turn. Say goodbye!"

"No!" Lee shouted, running to intercept him.

"What!" Dosu said."That's not possible!"

"Lee!" Sakura shouted.

Lee, with a determined face, used his technique. "Konoha Senpu!" However, his attack was too low, since he couldn't balance. Dosu just hopped off it, and attacked him again. "Looks like my last effect is finally taking effect. You actually startled me there, but now, your agility, strength, and laser-sharp attacks are useless against me now!" Dosu sent his right arm flying at Lee in a hook, which Lee barely blocked, but the sound waves still hit him, hard.

"This arm device allows me to magnify every little sound from within to the utmost lmits, like a speaker. Not only that, but I can use the momentum from my punch to direct it all at you using my Chakra. You're receiving the full force!" Lee was hit by a high sound to his left ear again, and fell to the ground. "And now, for the coup de grace!"

"Not if I can help it!" Sakura shouted, throwing three kunai at Dosu. He merely blocked them with his gauntlet, but not expecting four shuriken to follow them. Zaku got in front of them, and used an amplified sound wave to send a wave of air at Sakura, as well as her own Shuriken, striking her. Sakura fell to the ground, on her knees, and before she could get up, the other girl got behind her and grabbed her hair, forcing her to remain in place.

"Such lovely hair. Such bounce and shine, mine just can't compare. What kind of ninja technique is this? Kondishona- no jutsu? You're a disgrace to all shinobi, fussing over your looks when you should've focused on your training! Hey, Zaku! I'll hold her down. Why don't you finish off her fallen heartthrobs, one by one, in front of this lovesick pig? Let's give her a show before we finish her off."

"HA HA! Good one, Kin!"

'No, they couldn't…they wouldn't.' Sakura tried to convince herself.

"Sa-Sakura…" Lee said, still eating dirt.

'I can't summon any strength. I've always been a burden; just someone for everyone to protect. I'm always behind them, never helping when the going gets tough; not even in this forest. I was hoping this time would be different…I need to help the people I care about for once!"

"All right. Let's do this." Zaku said. The seal on Sasuke's neck began to give off steam, and an aura was spreading around his body. They didn't see Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino behind them in the bushes, watching the whole scene unfold, deciding whether or not to help.

Sakura took out a kunai knife. 'I always thought of myself as a real ninja, proud to be an equal as I followed behind my teammates, always crushing on Sasuke and scolding Naruto. I was always watching them from the background, while they were up front, risking their lives. Lee did the same for me, and risked his life, to protect me, even though he was supposed to be my enemy. You've all shown me what I want to be. Now, you'll watch my back.'

Kin just laughed. "Your tricks won't work against me, dunce."

Sakura looked at her and smirked. "Oh, you think so?" Sakura took out her kunai and cut her hair, letting it and her headband fall off, flowing in the wind. Everyone around just stared, not believing what they saw. Ino was especially shocked, knowing she grew her hair out to impress Sasuke. She stood up, thinking about everything she should have done, but didn't, and how she couldn't fail this time.

"Kin, finish her off!"

Kin was about to stab her with a kunai, but Sakura had gone through hand seals and used Kawarimi no jutsu to replace herself with a log. Zaku was preparing to strike and was thinking 'Here and there, she's making a mockery of this, trying to deceive us with such low-level techniques.'

Sakura appeared charging at Zaku from his right, with three kunai in each hand. She threw them a Zaku, and prepared another Kawarimi. Zaku used Zankuha to send them back at Sakura, who turned into another log. Zaku looked up, expecting her to be there. She was using a hand sign, and Zaku threw four kunai at her. "As many times as you try it, it'll never work on me! My smallest skills are enough to handle you!" He shouted as the kunais hit. He began looking around for her, when he felt a drop of blood on his face. He looked up, and saw Sakura, bleeding, with a kunai in hand, and preparing to strike. 'This isn't kawarimi! It's real!' He just barely managed to bring his arms up to block the kunai from hitting his chest, which Sakura plunged into his right arm, and Sakura bit his other arm, keeping him down.

As Sakura took more and more hits, and as her face got covered in blood, and as she slowly lost strength, Ino was looking at her, and what she was doing. She remembered how they'd met, and how she'd helped Sakura get over her forehead phobia. They'd been best friends, inseperable, until Sasuke came, and they became rivals over him. She thought to herself, Sakura was the one fighting, being courageous, and here she was, with her team, hiding in the bushes, and the girl before her stood alone. She wasn't the same cry-baby she was before. If anything, they switched places! Ino wouldn't admit it, but she thanked Sakura for showing her that she needed to be more courageous, like a ninja should be.

Zaku finally managed to throw Sakura off, sending her flying into the dirt, face-down. "You bitch!" he shouted, preparing Zankuha, when Ino and her team emerged from the bushes, Ino and Shikamaru dragging Choji by his scarf. Sakura looked on in shock. Dosu and Kin looked surprised at them. "Hmph. The freaks just keep coming." Zaku said.

"Ino…" Sakura said in a low voice.

"Sakura, I told you…I'd never a let you show me up in front of Sasuke!"

"Ino…why?"

"Did you really think I was going to let youmake the big sacrifice? Did you really think I'd let you show off in front of Sasuke?"

Dosu spoke up "More annoying bugs from Konoha."

"They're not the only ones." Came a voice from behind them. Behind them stood Shino, Hinata, and Kiba, entering the clearing. Kiba spoke again. "We decided to take out some more teams before the end of the exam, plus, we don't exactly wanna be at the tower now, with those guys from sand there by now."

"And must you use the words buys in such an insulting way? My friends don't like that" Shino said.

"You guys…" Sakura said.

Kiba spoke again. "We're not much into fighting other Konoha teams. Not now, anyway. Besides, Hinata doesn't want us to fight other Konoha teams. Shino even said it's like going against our village. Besides…we had some bad experiences with shinobi of other villages. Let's leave it at that.

"So, the rookie nine are assembled again. How troublesome" Shikamaru said.

"G-guys, what do you think you're doing? These creeps are dangerous! They'll kill us! Let go of my scarf!"

"Sorry, buddy, but that's the way it is. We're men here. We can't abandon the lady of our team, or any of our teammates for that matter, just because the going gets rough, even if we die, no matter how troublesome."

"Sorry to drag you guys into this, but we are a team, all for one and one for all."

"If we have to, I guess that's the way it is."

Zaku made fun of Choji and his cowardice. "Heh heh. We'll let you off the hook if you run now, fatty."

Choji froze. "What did you just say? I could've sworn he just called me…"

Shikamaru was hoping he didn't say it again. 'That word's taboo with Choji. If he says it again, things are gonna get ugly.'

"You're welcome to run and hide…that is, if you can even find a hiding spot big enough to fit you, fatass!

Choji turned to face him, with death etched all over his face. "I'M NOT FAT! I'M JUST PLEASANTLY PLUMP! YOU GOT THAT! ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR! Does everyone get it! Konoha and Oto are at war!

"Congrats. You made Choji lose it." Ino said, as Choji had fire burning in his eyes.

"Great. This is turning into a mess. How troublesome." Shikamaru gave his opinion of the status.

"Yes, it is." 'We were supposed to kill the Uchiha under cover of this exam…but…'

"Oi, Sakura." Kiba shouted. "You look after your teammates. We'll take care of these guys. Just give us five minutes."

"Right!"

"Alright! We'll go first. Time for the Ino-Shiko-Cho formation! You're up, Choji. Get the guy who called you fat!" Ino ordered.

"Yeah! Baika no jutsu!" Choji began expanding like a balloon, and retracted his arms, legs, and head into his body, before announcing his next technique. "Nikudan Sensha!" He yelled, rolling madly at his opponent, chanting "Roll, roll, roll roll!"

Zaku didn't think much of it. "Heh. It's just a rolling fatass. Zankuha!" He shouted, sending a large wave of air at Choji, but Choji just used his energy to bounce into the air, and headed strait for Zaku. Zaku didn't have time to react, and was forced to dodge. Choji landed on the ground, hard. When the smoke cleared, Choji could be seen back to his normal size, stumbling dizzily. Dosu was running at him, trying to finish him off, but Shikamaru intervened.

"Kagemane no jutsu!" He said, as his shadow leeched out and latched itself onto Dosu, forcing him to follow his every move. "Wha?" he said, confused. Shikamaru explained. "This jutsu forces you to follow my every move. You can't escape. Ino! Only the girl is left! Get her!"

"Sure thing. Shikamaru, take care of my body for me." She said, forming hand signs. "Shintenshin no jutsu!" She said, before slumping over. Kin froze up for a second, before shouting to her teammates. "You're finished! If either of you moves, I'll kill your teammate! I've transferred my mind into her, so she's under my control. When I no longer sense your charkas, she'll be released. Leave your scrolls here, and finish the exam without them!" To everyone's surprise, the other two just smirked. Sakura saw what they were getting at.

"Ino, they're going to-" She was cut off when Zaku raised his arm and sent an air blast at Kin. Before it reached Kin, Shino sent bugs out to protect her. "To attack your own teammate. You're despicable."

Zaku smirked evilly and said "You underestimated us. Bad mistake."

Dosu finished. "Our objective is not to capture the scroll, or to pass this stupid exam. We're after Sasuke." Everyone froze at this.

Shikamaru released his jutsu, as he couldn't hold it any longer. 'Damn' "So, your little trick can only last five minutes? And the art that girl is using…if we kill Kin, she dies too. That should be easy."

"How low, to kill your own teammates." Everyone turned to look in the trees, where Neji and Tenten were. "You bubonic nonentities think you're good just because your sonic powers could beat these novices? Not impressed." Neji said

"More? The freak parade is never ending." Zaku said.

Neji and Tenten turned to Lee.

"Lee…" Tenten said.

"Looks like he blew it." Neji added.

Sakura recognized them. 'Those are Lee's teammates…'

"That kid with the bowl cut Hairdo Belongs to us." Neji said, activating his Byakugan, making veins near his eyes pulse. "You hurt him, and now you have to deal with us!" He hissed. Everyone froze seeing his eyes. "Stop while you can, or we'll give you everything we've got!" Neji stopped, sensing something.

'What's this chakra I'm sensing. I'm sensing two, both in the area. One is foul, but the other is completely alien…and its aura is…everywhere. The less foul one is coming from Sasuke, but I can't sense the other one.

"Hey, the aura is around here!" A girl's voice said. Out in the clearing came Michiko, Hotaka, and Yoko. Michiko spoke again. "Okay, who's aura is that? Anyone gonna answer me!" she said assertively.

Yoko decided to explain. "We sensed two auras in the area. Both foul, but one completely radiating evil. Would anyone care to explain?"

Zaku couldn't believe it "How many of you Konoha scum are there!" he said in disbelief that now 15 of them were there.

Hotaka ignored them and looked around, eyes widening upon seeing Sasuke. "Well, I think we know where the lesser aura is coming from." He said, pointing to Sasuke. Everyone looked and stared. Sasuke was rising, but purple chakra spiraled around him, radiating evil. His Sharingan was activated, and flame-like lines spread around his body, turning black once they stopped spreading.

"Sasuke-kun…"

"Sakura, who did this!" Sasuke demanded, a sizzling sound coming from his body.

Everyone froze, except for Zaku who pointed at himself "It was us."

"So…it was you."

"Sasuke-kun, your body…" Sakura said.

Sasuke just looked at his body, and the flame-like pattern on it. "Nothing to worry about. I feel strong…bursting with power!" He said, lowering his arm. "I got it from him, that sound ninja. I understand it now. I am an avenger! I must do anything to obtain power, even sell my flesh to the devil!"

Dosu was shocked at the markings 'I knew it! The curse mark that that girl was going on about. He channeled it and mimicked it, channeling it even to his feet!'

Shikamaru shouted "Ino! Get out of that body, now! Or you'll get dragged into this!" Shikamaru was leaving the battlefield himself. Ino released Kin, and returned to her body, leaving Kin confused as to what just happened.

Sasuke's curse mark was spreading, now covering his whole body. 'His chakra's immense! His body can't even contain it!' Sasuke began to run towards Zaku, who prepared a counter.

"Snap out of it, Dosu! He just refuses to die. Let's knock him out of that stupor of his! Zankuha!"

"Wait, Zaku! Don't you get it!"

The air Zaku shot at blasted at Sasuke, which seemed to defeat him. However, when the dust cleared, Sasuke wasn't there. Zaku looked around, before feeling someone behind him plant their foot on his back and grab both of his arms. "That was quick." Sasuke said, with a dark look on his face. Zaku was forced to kneel over due to the pain. Sasuke smirked. "You take such foolish pride in your arms. Time to bid them farewell." Sasuke said, just before pushing his foot down and pulling Zaku's arms up, effectively dislocating the shoulders. He screamed a cry of pain, before falling. Sasuke turned to Dosu. "You're mine. I hope you're more of a challenge."

Sakura couldn't take this. This wasn't Sasuke. He may be quiet, but not sadistic. This Sasuke reminded her of…Orochimaru. When he looked at her, she'd seen Orochimaru in his eyes. With tears in her eyes, she ran to him and hugged him from behind. "STOP IT!" She yelled desperately. "Please…please stop…" The marks on Sasuke slowly began to recede, until they'd completely vanished. Sasuke fell to the ground, with Sakura beside him. Neji admired Sasuke for a moment, thinking how he'd make a worthy opponent. She walked him back to the others, and saw Kiba with Naruto's sword.

"Hey, Sakura! Now that that's over, can you tell me who's sword this is? It's heavy!"

Tenten walked over and looked at it. "That's pure steel! No ordinary shinobi could wield this! Gui-sensei may be able to wield it, but even he would have trouble, and he's the strongest taijutsu expert we know."

"Wow! So Sakura, Sasuke, who's is this? I found it where Sasuke was; is it yours, Sasuke?" Kiba asked, wanting to know who owned such a weapon.

"It's not mine. Naruto found it, and used it to fight a snake, apparently. He used it pretty effectively, so it can't be as hard as you say it is." Sasuke replied.

"Let me try" Kiba said, raising the sword above his head, only to fall down the other way as the sword took him with it. "Nope, that's heavy. Ow…" he said.

"I wonder how Naruto did it. He does have incredible stamina. Anyway, couldn't you tell it was Naruto's? It was right by him."

"No it wasn't."

'Yes it was."

"No, it wasn't. It was by Sasuke. Naruto wasn't there."

"WHAT!" Sakura yelled. Everyone looked over to where Naruto was supposed to be, and saw nothing. He'd disappeared. "NARUTO! I'M GONNA KILL YA WHEN YOU GET BACK FOR NOT HELPING US!" She shouted loud enough for the whole forest to hear.

"My my, worried over your little friend, aren't you?" Dosu said, with Zaku and Kin beside him, both ready to fight. "How foolish of you to think it was over. You gave us time to place Zaku's arms back into their sockets and gave Kin time to recover. Sasuke lost that power so now it's time for us to finish this."

Just as he stepped foreward, he stopped, eye widening. He grunted for a few seconds. A kunai was stuck in his throat, avoiding his voice box, but allowing blood to flow into his lungs and out of his mouth. Everyone stared. Someone had snuck up on those who use sound. They wondered who. Their questions were answered as the kunai was removed, and he was pushed down, revealing a transformed Naruto with a sadistic grin on his face.

Some gasped at what they saw. As Naruto walked closer to them, they saw the changes in Naruto. His hair was flowing freely without his headband, and had turned completely silver. His right eye was glowing red, causing Michiko to gasp when she saw it. 'I got a glimpse of that in the first exam!' His left eye was a venomous green with a black slit for a pupil. His skin was turning a mix of pale grey and pale blue. He walked past them, to Kiba, who just stared at Naruto in fear, trembling. He ripped the sword out of his hands, and to everyone's disbelief, help it with one hand, with his arm raised out, pointing it at the sound nin. "You're dead" He said in a voice that was surely Naruto's, but a sadistic version.

"That's it. That's the power we sensed: the other aura. The evil one." Yoko said, staring.

Zaku, who was usually cocky, was loosing his nerve, tried to act tough all the same. Dosu was still on the ground, but on his knees, gasping for breath as his lungs filled with blood. Kin was frozen, not moving at all.

Dosu finally stood up, which Naruto liked, licking his lips in anticipation. Everyone looked at him; this wasn't the same Naruto as before. "Good. You're first." He said, appearing right in front of Dosu. Dosu swung his arm at Naruto, which he didn't even bother to block. He amplified the sound as high as he could, sending Naruto into a Nearby tree. Dosu grinned as well as he could, blood still dripping down his lips. Everyone paled when Naruto came out as if nothing had happened. "hmph. That's all you got? I'll make this quick." He said, before charging, and in one swift motion, cut Dosu in half by the chest, his blood-filled lungs spilling its contents all over Naruto, sending him into a bloodlust.

Zaku and Kin just jumped away, clearly in fear. Naruto turned to Kin, saying "You're next." Kin screamed and threw all the needles she had, some with bells and some with none, at him, trying to catch him using genjutsu casting bells, but Naruto just swung his sword, creating a wind, and stopping the bells where they flew, causing the scatter in all directions. Naruto just stared before jumping slightly to the side, and apprearing behind her, and doing it again to appear by her side, and kept doing this, faster and faster. Eventually, after-images were left, and soon, after-images were everywhere. No one knew where Naruto really was. After thirty seconds of this, Naruto stopped, and while the after-images were still keeping her attention, cleaved her right down the middle, from head to toe. He turned to Zaku, and grinned sadistically. "And then there was one."

Zaku yelled in fear, closed his eyes, and jumped in the air above Naruto, who just stood there. He shouted ZANKUKYOKUHA!" Sending a giant blast of air down on Naruto, crushing him under the air coming down on him, and the ground keeping him from moving back. Zaku landed with a terrified look on his face in front of a small crater. For a second, he thought he won. That was before he saw Naruto walk up out of it, sword on his shoulder. Everyone was terrified. Zaku tried to get up, but he'd put everything he had into that last attack. He just looked up, ready to cry. "Say goodbye!" Naruto yelled, before performing slashes so fast on Zaku that they appeared as flashes of light to everyone else. When Naruto was done, he was behind Zaku, or where he once stood, with is sword in his right hand, behind him, and his left hand forming a seal near his face, Zaku was splattered all over the battlefield. Naruto relaxed, still being forty feet from the other Konoha nin. His sword was at his side, facing foreward, and his head was down.

"Na-Naruto…how could you?" Sakura said, with tears in her eyes. Naruto just stood there, not moving.

"ANSWER US, NARUTO!" Kiba yelled. Naruto didn't move.

"Naruto-kun…"

"I saw that red eye in the first exam, but nothing like this happened!" Michiko yelled.

"What power…" Sasuke said

"Even they didn't deserve that, Naruto. You went too far!" Ino yelled.

"That was too much, Naruto!" Hotaka said.

Everyone else just stood there after that. After a minute of silence, Naruto raised his head slowly, and did something that made everyone pale and freeze: he raised his sword at the group, grinned sadistically, glaring at them as if this was a fun game.

"Who's Next?"

Next time: The Second Exam, Part II: 14 vs. 1, Fighting a Friend!

**Notes**

Naruto fighting the other 14 genin, can't wait, can you! And a cliffhanger, I'm so cruel:)

Over 14.5 thousand words! WOW!

I'll update as soon as I can!

Spread the word about this story, if you would.

Here are my thank you's!

Thank you, **AzureSky123**, for your comment. I'll update soon!

Thank you, **Vegeta the 3rd** for your comment, and let me answer your question: I never said it was a bloodline technique, as many will have determined from this chapter. All I'll say is what's already been said: it makes the Kyubi quail in fear. And thank you for reviewing every chapter up so far!

Thank you, **AznAltron**, for your comment, and it's only going to get more original (I spent months planning this fic, so it'll be original, and I'll never abandon it!) If I need techniques I'll contact you.

Thank you, **got-ramen**, for your comment, and Naruto's new power will be further explained throughout the story. It will be interesting, so keep reading!

Thank you, **Angel of Forgotten Souls**, for your comment, and don't worry. There won't be any chapters like chapter 2 again. They'll all be like a traditional story, but with the future Naruto popping in now and then.

Here are the translations for this chapter:

Henge-Transformations

Katon: Housenka no jutsu-Fire Release - Chinese-Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique

Shinigami-Death god

Kage bunshin no jutsu-Shadow clone technique

Kendo-Sword Technique

shunshin no jutsu-Body flicker technique

Gogyo fuin-Five elements seal

Katon: Ryuuka no jutsu-Fire release: Dragon Fire technique

Konoha Senpu-Konoha/Leaf Hurricane

Omote Renge-Front Lotus

Taijutsu-Body techniques

Kondishona- no jutsu-Conditioning technique

Kawarami no jutsu-Body replacement technique

Zankuha-Decapitating air wave

Baika no jutsu-Multi size technique

Nikudan Sensha-Human Bullet tank

Shintenshin no jutsu-Mind Body Switch Technique

Genjutsu-Illusion technique

Zankukyokuha-Extreme Decapitating Air Waves

Okay, go it! Leave a review if you read, and see if others would review my story. Thanks!

Well, that's all. Drop a review.

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


	5. The 2nd exam, pt 2: 14 vs 1!

**The Paths We Walk**

The Second Exam, Part 2: 14 vs. 1; fighting a friend!

Naruto just stood there as the silence fell. After a few seconds of silence, he grinned raised his head to meet the group, showing his sadistic grin and glowing eyes. He brought his sword straight up with his arm extended, holding it straight at their necks.

"Who's next?"

Nobody moved, nobody flinched. Everyone just stared, too afraid to respond. Though only one of them had a high-level chakra sense in the group, everyone could feel the powerful evil chakra running through Naruto.

"No one? I guess I'll choose."

Naruto lunged at the group, aiming his sword for the neck. He locked onto Sakura, whom he picked out as the easiest kill to start with. "Say good-bye!"

Sakura broke out of her trance just in time to pull out a kunai and block the blow, but the force of the blow was too strong and forced her arm back, causing the flat side of the kunai she was blocking with to impact the side of her head, instead of the sword. Nevertheless, the force sent her flying back, losing her kunai and sending her head-first into a tree roughly twelve meters away.

Everyone finally got their brains working and forced themselves up, even the injured, and jumped to help the wounded Sakura. Naruto chuckled in an angst way. "You're lucky that kunai was there to soften the impact. Too bad. Id've loved to see your head flying through the air."

Now, everyone had stares of hatred in their eyes. There was no excuse for attacking their own teammate. Shino, to everyone's surprise, spoke first.

"That's enough, Naruto. Sound ninjas are one thing, but attacking your own squad members is going too far."

"Save it. I don't care about that. I just want to find the others."

"Wh-What do you mean, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, wanting to know what her idol meant.

"It is none of your concern. All that concerns me now is finding them, and you are in my way!" Naruto jumped at the fourteen genin, raising his sword for a downward slash. Michiko managed to pull out her swords and parry Naruto's slash into the ground with an X-block and pushing it down.

Naruto smirked. "Interesting. You use two katanas for fighting. Such a shame, though. It won't be…enough!" Naruto ran his blade along the ground, using the broad side to sweep Michiko off her feet, and making her fall as Naruto punched her into the dirt. She coughed up blood from the hit, and Naruto raised his sword for a downward finishing stab. Before he could make the move, Neji appeared behind him and used Juken to blast Chakra through Naruto's organs. Michiko got up, and joined the others as they formed a circle around Naruto, who was recovering from the blow.

Naruto looked up and smirked. 'I can only read one mind at a time. That means I can only predict their movements one person at a time. I better switch fast to see when someone else plans to attack.'

Neji thought it was over. "You won't win. That attack has damaged your chakra circulatory system and your internal organs. You won't be able to move. Now explain your motives."

Everyone thought it was over. Naruto had kneeled down, clutching his stomach in pain, before falling to the ground…and poofing out of existence.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu?" Neji asked aloud.

"Correct" Naruto said, before swinging his sword from behind Neji. Luckily, Neji had activated his byakugan to see the attack coming and had jumped up to avoid the horizontal slash to the chest. He flipped around to face him, but slipped to the side as Naruto used the momentum of the slash to do a circular motion, doing a crushing downward blow.

Shino took advantage of the fight and sent a bug at Naruto, so he could track him later on. He knew at the moment his attacks were useless. Everyone else had formed a circle around Naruto, knowing that going in all at once would be a disadvantage to them.

Neji aimed another attack at Naruto's stomach, but Naruto jumped up and landed on his arm, only to jump off that and to a flip, about to cleave Neji in two from behind. Lee recovered enough to try to interfere with a kick. "Konoha daisenpu!" Lee yelled as he jumped into the air, using his momentum to spin, and used both legs to kick while spinning. Before Lee could hit, Naruto blocked the kicks while still doing his flip with the flat side of his sword, with the blade facing Lee, causing him to stop. He pushed his sword foreward along his leg, trying to hit him from the front.

He would had succeeded in killing Lee if not for a jutsu being shouted out. "Suiton: Koku no jutsu." Yoko said, and the tubes on her back opened at the top, the water came out in a black mist, and rose to the sky. Everyone moved back, leaving Naruto in the middle of their circle. A black rain of oil fell from the sky over Naruto. Sasuke took the hint and followed with a jutsu of his own. "Katon: Housenka no jutsu!" Several fireballs flew from his mouth, flying into the circle. There were explosions every time a fireball made contact with the rain. In seconds, the whole area was a giant fireball. Everyone thought it was over, before seeing a figure standing in the fireball. When the fire cleared, smoke arose from the burnt ground, and Naruto just stood there, with some burns on him, some of major degree. 'Damn this body. It's too easily injured.' He thought, as he began to heal his wounds.

The other genin used this time to think. Most thought of running Naruto read their minds and laughed. "Running won't work. You can't escape me now."

Shikamaru decided to run anyway. He turned around, and jumped into the trees. "I suggest you guys do the same!" He yelled back. However, barely after he'd left the clearing, he'd entered it again, despite not turning. "What? A genjutsu?"

Naruto laughed again. "I told you there was no escape. Remember the jutsu the two ninja used on the door before the first exam? This is just like it, but you won't break it like you did then. If you run, you'll just lead yourself back here, even if you try to run straight forward."

Everyone was both nervous and impressed. To perform a genjutsu of this level, and on everyone, and still keep focus after an attack like that, was a high level technique. This was not the same Naruto as before.

Suddenly, Shikamaru had an idea. "Hey, does anyone have soldier pills?" He asked.

Kiba nodded. "I have some. Why?"

"Give one to me and Ino. I have a plan, but we're out of chakra. We need a food pill to recover.

Kiba looked hesitant, but gave them a pill each, curious to what the plan was.

Both Ino and Shikamaru took a pill, while Choji came over and Shikamaru explained their plan. Naruto was preoccupied with others whom he considered strong, keeping an eye on them to avoid their plans. He never expected to see a giant ball coming at him from behind.

"Baika no Jutsu!" Choji yelled, as he expanded and retracted his limbs. "Nikudan sensha!" He yelled, rolling at his opponent. Naruto smirked, and fell to the ground on his back, and when Choji reached him, he stuck up his feet, grabbing Choji, and raised his feet into the air fast, kicking him into the air. He did a handspring up, only to find he couldn't move. "Kagemane no jutsu success." Shikamaru said.

Naruto was able to see that Shikamaru had gotten his shadow on his, so he couldn't move a muscle on his own anymore. He looked at Shikamaru in anger. "How did you do that? Your shadow shouldn't be able to reach that far."

Shikamaru chuckled and looked at Naruto, causing Naruto to look at him. "You're right. It shouldn't. Not from this distance at least. However, when Choji was in the air, not only were you worried about what was above you, but his shadow also added to mine, and I stepped forward after that to keep the distance right. You should've learned to never underestimate your opponents."

Naruto just laughed again. "Whoever said I was underestimating you? Even if you catch me in this technique, you can't hold it long. I'll be free soon."

"Idiot. Do you really think that's the only reason I'm using this technique? To buy time? Look behind you. Here. I'll help." He said, turning his head, causing Naruto to turn his head. Behind him was Ino about to use her own technique. "After I use this technique, we'll bind you to a tree with metal wire so you can't move and throw your sword into the river. You lose, Naruto!" She shouted, using shintenshin no jutsu.

Naruto went stiff, and Ino fell to the ground. Shikamaru released his shadow and ran over to Ino with Choji. Naruto smirked. "Shintenshin no jutsu success. Hurry and tie me to a tree, and throw the sword into the riv-" Ino never finished, and began twitching. Naruto's body had a blank stare, and began shaking all over.

Inside Naruto's mind, Ino was being pushed back by a shapeless force. It was damaging her mind, and as her mind was damaged, her body was beginning to take damage. Everyone outside became worried. Naruto was shaking, and Ino's body was bleeding. Ino was forced back in Naruto's mind, and forced to release the jutsu. Naruto muttered "Kai." And he fell to the ground. Ino fell too, unconscious.

Hotaka decided to take charge. "Everyone, let's retreat while he's recovering. The genjutsu broke when Ino took over his body. Hurry."

Shikamaru agreed. "He's right. Let's regroup and strategize while we can." Everyone nodded and agreed. They took his sword and threw it into the river when they passed it. They followed the river upstream so they could regroup in the woods.

Meanwhile, Naruto was getting up, his hair still shining silver in the morning sun. He looked around, and found himself alone. He chuckled. 'They think they can run. How nice. I can't wait to see their faces when I cut off their heads.' He thought. He looked around for his sword, finding nothing. 'They took my sword. I'll have to find it. They're really annoying.' He chuckled again. 'But they're more fun than I thought. Hide n' seek always was an entertaining way to kill back then.' He finished his thoughts, following the traces of his comrades, leading him to the river, and to his sword.

While watching the fight, the real Naruto was subdued, staring at the events outside, finally breaking away and turning to the Kyubi. "Is that…really me?"

The Kyubi stared "**No. That is the odd life form that was also held inside your body. It's beginning to transform your body. Your hair and skin were only the beginning. It's starting to alter the structure. Soon, of no one can stop it, it will permanently alter your form.**"

"Wha! There's gotta be something I can do! Where is it? I'll tear it to shreds!"

"**Do you really think it'd be that easy, brat?**" Naruto looked at the Kyubi, expecting an explanation. "**Whatever it is, we can't do anything about it for the time. If your friends are able to defeat the being in your body, then it will be forced back into your subconscious and you can challenge it. It should be weak enough from attempting to take over your body for you to suppress it, though it may take a while. Until they are able to do that, then there is nothing either of us can do.**"

Naruto looked down in disappointment. He raised his head, having another question in mind "You said this new power…even you fear it. Just how strong is it? I thought the Kyubi was supposed to be the most powerful living thing in the world."

"**I've never encountered it before in my lifetime, which is over a thousand years except in the man I mentioned earlier. There are some who have Chakra eviler than mine, but nothing in comparison. This power is…fouler and greater. I have nothing more to say. Let's just hope that your friends can defeat it before it changes you for good.**"

Naruto turned back, and continued to watch the events unfold.

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"_It's torture watching your friends suffer. It's even worse watching them suffer by your own hands. I felt helpless, angry with myself for not being able to do anything."_

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The other Konoha genin had taken cover upstream of the river, trying to recover from their earlier encounter. They were in a small clearing, drinking water they got from the river. Sakura was the first to speak.

"Why…why is Naruto attacking us? We're his comrades."

"Where could he have gotten that power?" Sasuke asked.

"Could it have anything to do with that sword?" Tenten pondered.

Shikamaru analyzed the situation. "I don't believe it has anything to do with the sword. Kiba held it once, and Sakura must have held it to bring it over to Naruto when he was knocked out. I don't think the sword had an effect on him."

"Then what could it be?" Yoko asked. No one said anything for a few minutes. Each person was pondering where Naruto got his power.

Shikamaru was the first to speak again. "Michiko. You said you'd seen that red glowing eye before on Naruto, right?"

Michiko looked up, and answered Shikamaru. "Yes, once. It was in the middle of the first exam."

"What happened, and how did you see it?"

"Well, Naruto was sitting next to me in the exam. He was freaking out because he couldn't answer the questions. During the exam, he just grabbed his right forehead and eye. I think he was groaning in pain too. I asked what was wrong, but he said he was fine. Eventually, I let it go, but I was curious, so I looked anyway. He took off his forehead protector to reach his head, and at one point, he stopped groaning. He opened his hands, and closed them immediately. Both me and him saw the reflection in his forehead protector below him. It was the same red glowing eye in his right socket. But he sure as hell didn't go berserk like now!" Michiko finished.

"And what else happened after that?"

"He got up, his free hair covering his eye, and suddenly, began writing down answers. He finished fast, as if he had it memorized. I didn't understand, but let it go and kept on the test."

Shikamaru processed the information for a few seconds before continuing. "Did anything else unusual happen after the first exam?"

Sakura answered "Well, during this exam we did get separated. When he rejoined us he had that giant sword. During the fight, he went berserk and his hair turned silver, but only in short streaks, not all his hair. His eye turned red, but his left eye was red with a slit, not green. He even started to beat this other ninja who even beat Sasuke. Then, the other ninja shoved his blue glowing hand into Naruto's gut, and he fell unconscious. Something else happened after that. He was flown into the air to fall, but he was saved by this blur. That's all I can remember."

Sasuke remained silent throughout the conversation, ashamed that he lost. Shikamaru seemed to be wondering about something else. "That sword he had…it was made of pure steel, right?"

Tenten answered this. "Yeah. I work with weapons, so you can trust my word on this. There may be a small amount of other unidentifiable alloy in it, but it consists of a mixture primarily of steel."

Neji found this hard to believe. "But if it is pure steel, then how is it that Naruto can wield it? It took three of us just to carry the sword to the river and throw it in, including Lee."

Michiko knew some could wield swords like this and gave her opinion. "Some people can wield swords that big. I've heard that there are a few swordsmen of the mist who use massively oversized weapons made purely of steel. It's not impossible to wield them."

Lee rebutted this. "Yes, they can wield them, but only after years of intense training. They'd have to match Gui-Sensei's strength, and few can do that! Gui-sensei's the best!"

Shino was next. "Let's also remember that Naruto wielded the sword with speed and was able to counter almost all of our attacks."

Sasuke spoke next "He even managed to survive some direct attacks, even Neji's blow and even some third degree burns. Something's not right."

Choji added to that. "He even broke free of Ino's mind technique. No one's ever done that."

Ino finally stoped looking at the ground long enough to explain what she saw. "Guys…I don't think that was really Naruto we were fighting."

"Of course that was Naruto! Who else would wear that corny orange outfit?" Kiba said.

Ino shook her head "When I was in his mind, I saw three different minds in him. Two were close together, one was definitely Naruto, the other I didn't have time to identify. When I went to take over his mind, all I could see controlling his mind was a silver-pale blue glow before I was pushed out."

Nobody said a word for a minute, trying to take this in. 'How can he have three minds?' everyone asked themselves. Nobody could answer that.

Surprisingly , Hinata broke the silence. "So, N-Naruto-kun isn't in control of his body?" Ino shook her head. Everyone started sharing theories as to what was happening for the next five minutes. Shikamaru just remained in silence, as did his team, waiting for the expected. Finally, Shikamaru looked up, and Ino yelled for everyone to shut up, quietly though. Shikamaru looked at them, and shared his hypothesis.

"From what I see, that red eye reads minds. However, it can only read one mind at a time, seeing as Neji managed to hit Naruto with his juken and Yoko with Sasuke burned him." He noticed some were about to ask questions, but he held his hand up. "Please ask no questions. You will understand it soon enough. In the first exam, Naruto couldn't have answered those questions by himself. That eye must have been the key. It obviously isn't an all-seeing eye because Neji hit him in the back, and Naruto was looking down while answering the questions, so that's ruled out. However, mind reading fits. He answered the questions at incredible speed, and also blocked some of our attacks without even looking. So, that eye must be a mind-reading eye. Though, I believe his mind-reading time slows as he gets weaker."

"Secondly, the sword. I don't know much about it, but since he just used it for striking, we can assume that this soul controlling Naruto is very adept to fighting with swords, or anything in general. Also, it seems as if something is enhancing Naruto's strength, because it seems even when he was in control, he could wield it. I only hope the sword doesn't have any special abilities. Any unknown ore mixed in could be sensitive to chakra, and unleash attacks. We'll have to develop a counter in case he uses any sword abilities."

"Last, let's look at his transformation. His hair turned a shining silver and his skin turned a pale silver/pale blue, and he has that glowing eye and his left eye became a green eye with a slit. This transformation seems to provide Naruto with enhanced physical abilities, but we don't know if it supplies Naruto with other Ninjutsu or genjutsu. For now, I suggest that we focus on what we know about it and develop a strategy based on what we know, and also prepare for any ninjutsu or genjutsu. He also spoke of finding the others, and since he wants us dead, he must not want anyone to know about it."

"The key is to get around that eye. If he reads anyone's mind, the plan will fail. We have to get around it, attack from a distance, or keep him from reading our minds. If we can do that, we may be able to defeat him."

Everyone just nodded, impressed with Shikamaru's abilities. Neji stood up "You broke things down a put them together well. I'll come up with a plan-"

"Let Shikamaru do it" Choji said, causing Neji to turn. "He's a great strategist. He's the only reason we've survived in the forest for this long." Neji nodded reluctantly and sat down.

Shikamaru spoke again "First, I need to hear about your abilities. If I don't, then I can't form a proper strategy."

Sasuke was skeptical about this "Then we'd all know each others abilities, and we'd be able to counter them later on. We'd be exposing ourselves to weakness."

Shikamaru glared at him "It's either this or we form a weak strategy that allows Naruto to rip us to bits. So we have to do this, no matter how troublesome." Everyone agreed and told Shikamaru of their abilities.

Shikamaru put his hands together, fingers all connected to their respective finger on the other hand, with the fingers down and the thumbs up. He was like that for several minutes before coming to a stop. "I've got it." he said, and explained his plan to the group. "Everyone understand? Good. Get ready."

Suddenly, Shino looked around and spoke to a bug, and announced "I've been told Naruto about 400 meters downstream, heading to our location, fast. We've got to hurry."

"I'm starting to sense him too" Hotaka said

Everyone left to their respective stations, knowing exactly when to come in. Hotaka started, performing his jutsu, and waited for Naruto to come.

Meanwhile, the Kyubi and Naruto were planning what to do.

"So…when-"

"**If**"

"…When they beat him, how do I regain control of my body?"

"**You must prove your own will is stronger. You must subdue it by yourself, and must conquer it with willpower alone.**"

"Sooo…it's up to my self-confidence?"

"**Yes. You're cocky, and you have a strong will. That I will not deny. You have to control it mentally, and with your chakra for now. It would be like forming a temporary barrier around it with your Chakra. Do you understand?**"

"…"

"**We're doomed.**"

"Wait…so I have to fight it with my mind? Can you show me how?"

"**You're not as stupid as I thought, brat. If you have a strong will and confidence, you should be able to handle it.**"

As the kyubi told Naruto he had to fight mentally, the other form controlling Naruto's body was walking into the clearing where the other Genin were just a minute ago. In front of him was a giant two-story traditional house, with a Konoha symbol on the front of it. Naruto looked at it, and looked around. 'I can't see anyone else. Looks like they're inside. Damn. That means they can surprise me. I have to know their approximate location for this eye to work. I've been out of shape with my skills for a while now.' He though, stepping inside.

Inside was a large room, with wooden floors and doors. He opened a door to the left, and entered a room with stairs. He walked up the stairs and into the upper story. He walked from the stairs down the hallway. He sensed Chakra, but couldn't pinpoint it. It was in the walls, the ceiling, the floor, and everywhere else. 'This whole place is filled with Chakra. Is it alive? A summoning perhaps…' Naruto looked at the wall to his left, and pressed his hand against it. It felt like plain wood, but he could still sense the chakra around it and in it. 'They're around here, or recently at least. Where are they…' His thoughts were cut off as he felt a twinge of pain in his right cheek. He felt the blood slowly run down his cheek. He turned his head to the right, and saw a thin wooden spike jutting out from the wall. 'Oh shit!'

Suddenly the walls shot out, spikes flying in all directions, from walls, the ceiling, and even the floor, flying at Naruto. Naruto didn't have time to swing his sword at the spikes and was forced to jump rapidly, performing multiple flips to escape the spikes. Some shot out at his gut, but he leaned back. This was followed by spikes being fired at his sides, but he used the momentum he gained leaning back to do a backward handspring, landing on his feet, and jumping again to perform a flip/spin in the air, while changing his body as necessary to avoid spikes. 'Damn! There's no one to mind read! I can't fight back properly.' Naruto thought as he grabbed one wooden spike and swung off it to avoid more spikes. 'This is bad. I've got to get out of here, now.' He thought while going prone to avoid spikes, only to leap up on one hand when spikes flew out of the ground, and did a one-handed hand spring before more could pierce his other hand. He flipped again, and landed, only to grab a retracting spike to pull him to the wall to avoid spikes from the ceiling, and jumping from the wall just as spikes rained off the wall.

'I've got to escape, but the spikes will block me off, and without some way to mind-read their movements, I'll become swiss cheese in no time.' Naruto thought, before coming up with an idea. While dodging, he gathered a large amount of Chakra in his sword, and made one swing, releasing the chakra in it producing a strong blade of chakra, which traveled through the wooden spikes and to the exit, cutting through it and creating an opening. Naruto ran as fast as he could to the other end, still dodging the spikes, and got out just before the wound in the wood repaired itself. He landed on the ground covered in cuts, and the house sunk back into the ground, disappearing into the earth. 'Okay. They know I'm coming. They're prepared, and worse yet I showed one of my moves. I hope they didn't see it. I think I understand their strategy now.' Naruto thought, and looked around the clearing, expecting weapons to come at him at any moment. He wasn't disappointed.

Hundreds of various weapons flew at him in every direction. 'Damn! I hate being right sometimes!' He thought as he did various flips and twists to dodge weapons. 'It was a trap, and I have no idea where the person is. I can't mind-read them.' He thought as he grabbed a scythe and a double-bladed kunai from the air and threw them at some shuriken spiked balls headed towards him. 'I never thought I'd be playing defense. I'll have to get out of this place. The weapons just keep coming.' He finished as he focused more chakra into his sword. He did a backflip, and before landing leaned so he was facing in front of where he would land and swung his sword vertically, and the same crescent blade of energy fired, clearing anything in that area, and making it safe. He landed, and re-attached his sword to shield his back while using two kunais to block any weapons from the side. He made it into the trees, and tried to catch is breath.

'Damn! My form still hasn't completely taken over this body yet! If they keep this up-' His thoughts were cut off as he felt something on his legs. He looked down and saw a league of insects at his feet, beginning to crawl up his legs. He stared in shock, registering the danger. He jumped into the air, and grabbed a kunai to cut the bugs off his legs. The bugs fell to the ground, and Naruto landed in a tree, only for the bugs to continue their pursuit. 'They just keep coming. These bugs devour my energy. If I let them I'll have to escape. But how…' He thought grabbing a nearby branch and swinging on top of it, only to jump to another tree when the bugs followed. 'These bugs are land and air based, so they can't follow me in the river. It's only a short ways west of my position. I've got to hurry!' He finished thinking and slashed at the bugs before jumping and landing on the ground, performing a kage bunshin no jutsu. He had the kage bunshin lead the bugs off track for a minute as it jumped into the trees and headed east, with the bugs following, while the original headed west to the river. The bugs chased the kage bunshin until it was far enough to give the original enough time, but the bugs stopped following him, as their master ordered them to do. The clone turned around, but poofed out of existence as a senbon needle stuck itself into him, which he'd been completely unaware of.

Shino came out, having gathered his bugs, and looked up into the trees. "Tenten, I take it as everything went as planned with you?"

Tenten came out from her hiding place in the treetops and landed in front of Shino. "Yup. Everything went as planned."

Hotaka emerged next, walking in casually. "He fell for my trap as well. Seems that Shikamaru guy is a pretty good strategist after all."

Tenten turned to Hotaka, with concern in here eyes. "Will Yoko be able to pull off her part? It won't be easy. Sasuke told us Naruto also has a special bunshin technique."

Hotaka nodded confidently. "She can do it. He's headed to the river, so Yoko has the elemental advantage. Even if she had trouble, I also have a special bunshin technique, just in case."

Shino looked at them and nodded "Let's go. Our parts are done for now, but we still have to relay his sword attack to Shikamaru, and be ready in case of anyone else fails."

The other two nodded and the three jumped into the trees and made their way to the others.

Meanwhile, Naruto was at the river, and was preparing to cross. He made to jump, but as he was about to do it, he felt multiple presences, fourteen to be exact.

"Hello Naruto" Ino said.

"'Bout time you showed up. I was thinking I'd have to wait for the end of the exam to beat the crap out of you" Kiba yelled.

Naruto smirked. 'They're all here. Now I can mind-read them and know their movements. It's over.' He used his eye to read Kiba's mind, to find out their strategy, but couldn't get anything. 'What!'

Neji smirked. "So, you realized it? We found a way to block out our thoughts. You won't be so great this time. It's over for you, traitor!" He yelled, activating his byakugan.

Naruto growled in rage. 'How can they do that? That's never happened before! Not even against the others!'

Lee ran at him, with a kick aimed for his head, but Naruto ducked it, only to jump into the air when Sasuke appeared behind him, and sent a kick to his back. In the air, Naruto drew his giant sword. Lee jumped up to meet Naruto, with Kiba right behind him. Naruto blocked Lee's punch, but Kiba appeared behind Lee and kicked him in the face. Suddenly, Naruto realized something. 'Wait…Earlier I read Kiba's mind and saw he used beast-like attacks. That kick was not beast imitation. And Lee moves faster than this. That means…very clever.' He thought, before doing a hand-spring when he met the ground, and met Hinata, whom he cut with his blade in one swift strike before she could block. The cut was deep in the gut, but as Hinata flew through the air, with shock on her face, she turned to water.

Naruto looked at the others and smirked. "I get it now. You're all mizu bunshins that have been transformed into the others. Not one of you is real, and each only possesses ten percent of the original caster's strength. This won't be long." He charged at the other Mizu bunshins and cut them to pieces in a matter of seconds. Soon, none were left. Yoko saw this and performed more hand seals, creating a hundred more clones. 'This may take a while' Naruto thought. He ran up to one and jumped off it, but not before sticking his sword through its head. He landed in a group, and did a giant swing, forming a complete circle, and creating a wall of water. Soon, he came up with a better idea. "Kage bunshin no jutsu." He said, creating 80 clones to deal with the 80 remaining water clones. He just stood back and healed some of his wounds. 'That technique takes a toll on you, no matter how much energy you have.' When they were finished cutting down the mizu bunshins, he dismissed his clones.

Naruto began to run away from the river, but was stopped as a barrier of wood rose from the ground to his exit. He tried another way, but weapons flew out of it, sending him back with more cuts. His left sleeve had completely fallen off by now. He tried one last way, but a fireball flew out of it. Trying to avoid any further burns, he jumped back away from the area of impact, landing in a crouched position. He analyzed the situation and his surroundings, then growled when he realized something.

"So, you're blocking my exit? You want to fight me here, don't you. I see why. You have the terrain advantage, with water for using water jutsus, and flat terrain for close combat, shadows around us, and good soil to use for wood jutsus. Very clever. It seems you know about my mind reading ability too, and all about its abilities and how to avoid it. You'll still lose. I have more stamina than you, and you haven't seen all my techniques." Naruto said, telling a half-truth. They hadn't seen them all, because he couldn't use them all yet because the body wasn't adept at them. He also may have had more stamina, but they could wear him down with time.

Shikamaru knew this, and had made his plan to play off that. 'Ino, now!'

Ino was already prepared, and had done the necessary hand seals for her mind-body switch technique. She fired it silently, but Naruto sensed the Chakra being focused just before it hit, and jumped at Ino, causing her to miss. Her body went limp without her soul, and it couldn't return for a while. "Too bad Ino." He said, preparing to finish her off with a downward strike. Just as the blow was about to hit, Rock Lee appeared from behind a nearby tree and kicked Naruto into the air. He did a wall-jump off a tree and kicked Naruto again, and repeated this once more before punching him hard to the ground, where he landed, and Lee finished with a stomp kick from the air on Naruto, making him cough up blood.

'Damnit! All my attention was focused on Ino, and I didn't have time to read his mind. I need to focus. Ino's recovered by now, and both her and Lee must have hidden again. This isn't looking to good.'

Naruto got up, holding his chest while healing a broken bone. 'Relax. They don't stand a chance against me. I'll rip out their hearts one by one. Then, I will find the others, and no one will know about it to stop me.' He thought as he recovered. After a few minutes, he'd mended his bone, and resumed his search.

"Katon: Goukakyu no jutsu!"

'What?' Naruto looked around madly for Sasuke, but couldn't find him. 'I can't read their minds if I don't know their approximate location at this level. I've been imprisoned so long I can't use it properly.' He looked all around, left, right, front, back, and even above. That just left-

A giant fireball erupted from below his feet, and carried Naruto high into the air. He gritted his teeth in pain, and began to fall once the jutsu was released. As he fell to the ground he heard Kiba shout "Gatsuga!" He saw two tornado-like spirals charging at him, and he was in no condition to dodge. He tried reading his mind, but couldn't focus in time. The spirals ripped past him, leaving more cuts and causing Naruto to crash to the ground. He was able to see two Kiba's running away, but one transformed back into Akamaru.

'So they plan to keep their strategy a secret by doing this? I get it. They attack when my attention is elsewhere and then run after attacking so they can't be read. But if I pay attention, I can see through it.'

Naruto stood up, but not before making sure it was safe. Out of the trees came Michiko with a sword in her right hand and a kunai in her left. Sakura appeared beside her with the same weapons style. They charged at Naruto, and he barely had the strength remaining to use his sword properly. Michiko and Sakura both swung their swords, but Naruto parried them above his head and made a stab at Sakura, but she successfully parried it with her kunai, leaving Naruto wide open. Michiko swung her kunai at him, impacting his side. Naruto jumped away and tried to regroup.

'I can't keep up anymore. This body has been too damaged. If they knock me unconscious, the kid may have enough strength to subdue me. I shouldn't have rushed in. Shikamaru was right. I did underestimate them.' He thought before engaging them again. He got a few shallow cuts on the limbs in with his swings, but nothing worth more than a flinch. Naruto's suit, on the other hand, had various cuts all over it, and was red in various areas. 'They've got this planned out. Sakura isn't doing much because of experience, but still she's helping her block my blows. Michiko's a better dueler than I thought. I don't have the strength to keep this up for much longer.' Finally, the trio were stuck in a sword lock, with kunais and swords alike, when Shikamaru yelled "Neji, Hinata, go! Hinata, just do it, don't hold back! That's not Naruto!"

Naruto looked confused and worried, and looked at his two other duelists, who were smirking. Suddenly, the two swords transformed into Neji and Hinata! Neji looked determined, while Hinata looked worried and had eyes that said 'sorry.' They both used a powerful juken attack to damage Naruto's hands. Naruto yelled in pain as they ran away. Neji looked back and smirked. "You won't be able to use your hands for a few hours Naruto. We've damaged your circulatory system, so your strength is almost gone." He said before running. Naruto finally had a still target to mind read for a short time. He couldn't on the other two because he could never lock onto one with his current strength. He finished learning about his plan and he could only say one word. "…Fuck…"

"Nikudan sensha!" Choji yelled, rolling at Naruto as fast as he could. Naruto tried to pick up his sword, but didn't have the strength. He was forced to jump out of the way and land about five meters to the left, but wasn't able to dodge the next roll. He took it full on, and it sent him flying and rolling on the ground until he landed in the river. He kicked his way to the surface, and used what was left of his strength to pull himself out and stand up shakily. However, the moment he got up, he couldn't move. "Kagemane no jutsu success."

Naruto finally caught sight of Shikamaru, since he could still move his eyes. "You bastards. You had this planned all along. How far ahead do you think?"

Shikamaru chuckled before saying "Long enough to beat you, and then some.

"I always thought you were lazy."

"I am, unless something's worth doing, and survival is a high priority. So tell me, who are these "others" you keep talking about?"

"None of your business."

"Hmph. I should've known."

"How did you defeat me so easily?"

"Well, it was quite simple. And if you're trying to buy time, forget it. I took a soldier pill. I can last a long time." Naruto growled again, sending killer intent straight at him. "First, we realized your sword couldn't be the cause, and then we learned about your eye and how you weren't really Naruto from Ino, but something controlling his body. I figured you had to know approximately where your opponent was because of the way you acted in our first fight, so I went off of that once I knew everyone's special skills. The time it takes to read someone's mind is also affected by your condition. At first, we used techniques that would surely damage you so you'd be weaker when the actual fighting began, such as the weapons or the wooden spikes, or bugs to send you to our location. We followed up by using hit-and-run tactics, so you couldn't figure out our strategy with your eye. We beat you down, making you lose blood and damaging your body, so less oxygen flowed through your body and making it more painful to move. And even when you healed your wounds, you used up Chakra, and you could only heal when you could concentrate, which we made hard to do. We sent you here because it was the perfect terrain for our trap. Then, well, you know the rest. It's too troublesome to explain it all. Neji and Hinata injured your hands, and you were beaten then since you lost your primary attack."

The others came out knowing it was safe. Most had looks of victory on their face, except for Hinata, Sakura, and Shino, some whom looked sad, and Shino looked the same as ever.

"So…what're you going to do to me?"

Shikamaru looked at Lee. "You know what to do."

Lee looked apprehensive. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Do it." Everyone else wondered what he was going to do. Shikamaru had only told Lee the final part.

Lee slowly walked over to Shikamaru and, in front of everyone, hit him as hard as he could in the stomach. Naruto, who was still under kagemane, felt the same impact hit him, and both he and Shikamaru went wide-eyed, and coughed up blood before they fell to the ground unconscious.

The Kyubi saw the opportunity "**Go now! This could be our only chance. Remember, prove you have the stronger will and self-confidence and that will keep you in control!**"

"I got it!" Naruto yelled, as he began the mental battle for his body.

Next time: The Second Exam, Part III: Teaming Up And Taking Down!

**Notes**

Yes! The next chapter will be the last in the second exam.

Sorry it's late, but it took me a while to plan out the fights, which were pretty complicated. I wanted to come up with a good strategy for beating Naruto.

This chapter is shorter, but it still has some length to it. Over 7000 words.

I'll try to update soon, but I also have to plan some new fics I'm gonna make, but this will still be my main fic.

Here's my thanks:

Thank you, **AznAltron** , for your comment, and I thank you for offering to help me with techniques. I'd also like to know if you could translate some things for me. I've got some techniques of my own, and I'll need some for my OC's. I'm gonna need fire and wind so thank you for your help. Yup, Naruto's gone crazy, and this won't be the last time either.

Thank you, **ofdarknesschaos** , for your comment, and I'll be updating soon, hopefully early next month. No promises though. I've got some other things I've gotta do too, but I'll have it up asap.

Thank you, **got-ramen** , for your comment, and I'll have more on the power in future chapters, but it won't fully be explained until the story really progresses. I'm glad to know the fights I write are good, cuz these chapters will have some dramatic fights later on.

Thank you, **MoOn-ShInE-LoRd** , for your comment, and I'm not going to spoil anything, but his clothes getting destroyed sort of gives it away in this chapter (though its only one sleeve and some tears…for now…) And don't worry about the introduction. I couldn't fit it in that chapter, but I wanted to get them in early, so I did the best I could. I have a proper introduction planned soon, so don't worry, you'll know all about them soon. They're gonna play an important role in my fic. And about the sensing thing, that'll also be explained. What I will say is that it was only one of them who sensed it, and that person told the other two.

Thank you,** causeiambetta** , for your comment, and thank you for complimenting me on it being well thought out (I spent months planning this fic! MONTHS!) The prologue is the way it is because in all stories the main characters always make it to the end, so I'm filling you with questions that you want answered, and to do that you gotta read my fic! I'm so evil :)

Thank you, **waterdruid** , for your comment, and I'll update asap. The next chapter is gonna be pretty interesting, with more on Naruto's powers.

**Fabarati**, just so you know, I'd like to thank you for correcting me, but there's no need to be so harsh. I spent months planning this (even learned how to ride horses for later chapters), so 2 little spelling errors don't really matter.

Thank you, **Vegeta the 3rd** , for your comment, and I'm glad you noticed the sound-nins emotions. I wanted it to seem that Naruto is being so cruel that you even feel sorry for the bad guys, and you confirmed that I did that! Thank you! More on how Naruto gets out of this one in the next chapter.

Thank you, **insane kyuubi** , for your comment, and I like it when Naruto gets like this too. Fills me with shock when I see people write about it. And don't worry, Naruto's not gonna go totally crazy, as seen in the prologue.

Thank you, **Conceptor** , for your comment, and it is dobe, apparently, but it doesn't really matter if I got that wrong at first. As for Naruto's power…I could explain it all now…but…that would ruin it all, and what fun is that? There'll be more soon. Thanks for the compliment on my detail and depth, sorry this one's shorter, but it's basically all fight scenes except for one scene.

Thank you, **chaosmagez** , for your comment, and sorry to disappoint you, but he doesn't kill them. He did hurt them though (He gave Sakura a hit she'll never forget). There'll be more evil power in the next chapter.

Thank you, **Specula** , for your comment, and thank you for looking at my fic. About the Yondaime being sadistic…more on that later! Can't spoil it :). Don't worry, you'll find out soon. You're also the first person to notice the buster sword is from FF7 and said it in a comment. About it belonging to Naruto even though he's evil…it's been explained in this chapter, but you'll see soon enough. Naruto himself isn't evil, but the power controlling his body is. And no, he won't go for an innocent scam. He'll be scarred by this. This was a life-changing event. I promise everything will be explained in future chapters, and they're not far away now.

Thank you, **The True Uzamaki** , for your comment, and I'm happy people seem to be pleased with the dark and dramatic tone I've tried to set. I'll update soon!

Here are the jutsus:

Juken-Gentle Fist

Kage bunshin no jutsu-shadow clone technique

Konoha Daisenpu-Konoha/Leaf Great Whirlwind

Suiton: Koku no jutsu-Water Release: Black Rain Technique

Katon: Housenka no jutsu-Fire Release: Chinese-Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique

Baika no jutsu-Multi Size Technique

Nikudan sensha-Human Juggernaut

Kagemane no jutsu-Shadow Imitation Technique

Shintenshin no jutsu-Mind Body Switch Technique

Mizu bunshins-water clones

Katon: Goukakyu no jutsu-Fire release: grand fireball technique

Gatsuga-Double piercing fang

Finished! Well, I'll catch you all next time!

Drop a review!

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


	6. The 2nd exam, pt 3: Teaming & Taking!

**The Paths We Walk**

The Second Exam, Part 3: Teaming Up And Taking Down!

As soon as Shikamaru had hit the ground and skidded to a stop, Lee had run over to him and picked him up, and rejoined the others. Everyone else, with the exception of Choji was staring wide-eyed. They hadn't seen anything like that coming. Choji was more concerned for Shikamaru's health right now.

For another half-minute, all eyes were on the fallen Naruto, checking if he really was out and not faking it. They had enough of a hard time just getting him there, and several members of the group were out of Chakra. They wouldn't survive another onslaught now. When they were sure Naruto was out, several let out sighs of relief.

"WE DID IT!" Lee yelled.

"hmph." Sasuke smirked.

"I-is Naruto-kun okay?" Hinata asked shyly.

Hotaka answered her "He's fine, just knocked out."

Shino decided to remind them of their last task "Let's cut the conversation and finish this."

Ino took out some metal wires, as did Sasuke, and they along with Kiba and Tenten wrapped the unconscious Naruto up to a tree, in a way that really wouldn't be considered comfortable, and dropped his sword to the ground beside him.

A minute later, Shikamaru moaned and opened his eyes, and looked at Lee, whom was still carrying him on his shoulder. "Did you have to scream so loud with me here? I think I lost my hearing."

Lee lit up with delight "Shikamaru-kun! You're alright!"

Shikamaru still wore that lazy expression. "Never hit me like that again. I think I'm gonna lose my meal."

"Oi, Shikamaru!" Choji yelled. Shikamaru looked over and saw Choji walking towards him. "So, why did Lee hit you? Why not just hit him right after you released the jutsu? He wouldnt've had enough time to counter it." Everyone else had walked over, wanting to know why Shikamaru told Lee to hit him. After all, he'd told them to ask no questions until it was over, and it was over.

Shikamaru looked up at everyone and told them "I thought it was obvious. Everything else that you all did was for that one punch." Some still didn't understand it, so he continued. "The wooden spikes and weapons, bugs, and water clones were all to weaken him, lower his blood level so he couldn't act as fast, and reduce his chakra level so he'd have less to use for mind-reading. Then, we did more physical damage, with Lee, Sasuke, Kiba, and everyone else weakening his body, and Neji and Hinata crippled his arms so I could catch him in my shadow. However, even when he was weakened, I didn't want to take any chances that Naruto's body could withstand Lee's punch, so I had him punch me, and I knew that it would drill farther into me, and since he was forced to imitate me because of my shadow, he felt the same impact. That's about it."

Everyone in the group stared in awe at Shikamaru, each in their own way. "You came up with that plan that fast!" asked Kiba unbelievingly.

"It wasn't that hard after I learned of everyone's basic skills."

Hotaka looked at Shikamaru with respect. "I see. You planned everything just for that one strike, right."

"Yes." Shikamaru replied.

"And you took the hit for your teammates. You're brave, Shikamaru." Hotaka said, with a small smile on his face.

Shikamaru gave a small smile as well. "I won't let my comrades suffer. Anyone here would've done the same." He gave a quick glance towards Ino. "…then again…OW!" Ino hit him over the head, with a look that said 'Just wait you little-'

"Why did everyone join the fight? Five teams to assemble in one spot…that's not something that would normally happen with a mission like this." Neji changed the subject before Shikamaru got killed.

Sakura spoke for her team "Well, we escaped this crazy grass ninja…I think he was a grass ninja…who knocked Naruto and Sasuke out." She was careful not to mention the seal. "Then, we went to rest under some roots, and then those Sound ninjas attacked. That's about it."

Neji turned to Choji, since Ino was trying to beat Shikamaru, he was the only one available. "Alright, you next."

Choji sighed and stopped eating a bag of chips for a moment. He looked at Neji and explained. "Well, after we ran into you in the forest, we were running around trying to find opponents." 'Weaker than us.' "While running around, we saw a battle going on behind a bush. We hid behind it to see what was going on. Sakura was fighting the Sound ninjas with Lee on the ground. When Sakura was about to lose, we got out and defended her. That's it. Can I eat now?" Neji nodded and Choji began shoveling more chips into his mouth.

Neji decided that his cousin's team should talk next. "You, explain why you're here." He said in a slightly bitter way.

Kiba was unfazed by his tone and explained. 'Like Shino will do it, and Hinata will never talk to that guy unless she has to.' he thought. "We saw these sand guys slaughter these other rain ninjas without flinching. We were behind a bush, and would have met the same fate if he'd discovered us. After they left, we went the opposite way, trying to get away from them. It was coincidence we ran into you guys."

Neji seemed satisfied with the answer and turned to the last team. "What brought you to the fight?"

Hotaka was about to answer, but Michiko beat him to it. "We were running through the forest when Hotaka sensed these evil auras. We decided to do a little investigating, and, well, here we are."

Hotaka was slightly annoyed that Michiko butted in, but let it go. 'I should have expected that.'

Neji couldn't help but wonder. 'How could Hotaka sense something like that?' "Please, tell me how far you were from here." It was more of a command than a statement.

Michiko answered again "He's got a jonin level chakra sense. Don't ask how, he just does." Hotaka sighed again.

Neji seemed content with the answer and was about to call to his team when Sasuke spoke up. "Why did you come? It's only natural you give your reason if we all give ours."

Neji looked at him with slightly amused eyes and said "Did you not notice Lee was injured? He rushed off to save Sakura while we were scouting. You were unconscious, so I understand why you didn't notice. Still, I would have expected you to wonder why Lee was down while his teammates were in the trees." Sasuke grunted, noticing the subtle insult. "We came to rescue him, but then we got involved in all of this. It was a waste of time and Chakra." He turned to his teammates and motioned to them they were leaving.

Lee felt that he still had something to say. He went up to Sakura and gave her a sad look. "Sakura-san, I am truly sorry that I failed to protect you, but do not worry! When we meet again, I shall be a stronger man! I swear it! The fighting lotus of Konoha blooms twice!" He said with a smile.

Sakura didn't know what to make of it at first, but smiled and nodded "Yeah!" Tenten was standing nearby, a little annoyed. Neji was getting impatient, and finally Lee finished promising Sakura the world, and they jumped into the trees.

Ino yelled out to Sakura "Hey, Sakura. How bout I cut your hair? It's a mess."

Sakura didn't know what to do at first, but soon got her intentions. She smirked "How sweet of you?"

Sakura walked over to Ino and sat down. Ino took out a kunai and began trimming Sakura's hair. While she cut, the two had a hushed conversation. "That's a cheap move, Sakura! Acting like you just had to help Sasuke. You were just looking for an excuse to hug him, billboard brow!"

Sakura never lost her triumphant smirk. "What can I say, pig? The early bird gets the worm, or in this case, the hottie!"

Meanwhile, Shikamaru was recovering from Ino's fit. He decided now was the time to give team 7 a little gift. "Oi, Sasuke, I got something for you."

Sasuke turned to face Shikamaru and walked over to him. "What do you want? I don't have all day. There's still scrolls we have to get, since our heaven scroll was burned."

Shikamaru smirked. "That's what I want to talk to you about. Here." Shikamaru handed him an earth scroll. Ino, who just finished cutting Sakura's hair, freaked out.

"SHIKAMARU, YOU IDIOT! THAT'S OUR SCROLL! YOU CAN'T GIVE IT TO THEM!"

"It's not ours" No one seemed to understand what he meant. "Looks like I'm the only one who can think around here. How troublesome. This is from the Sound ninjas Naruto killed. It's rightfully yours, and we won't have much use for it, not even for bargaining." 'It'd be easier to kill us than bargain. How troublesome.' "So, it's yours."

Sasuke took the scroll and put it in his pouch. 'Good. One down, one to go.'

Well, looks like we're done here. Good luck with Naruto! See ya!" Kiba yelled. Shino gave a small wave, and Hinata stuttered a good-bye. The three vanished into the trees and headed for the tower.

The other team, however, showed no signs of leaving. They walked over to Sasuke and spoke. "How about we trade scrolls? It doesn't matter to you. We already beat a team and now we got two heaven scrolls. It really makes no difference to you." Yoko said.

Sasuke didn't like the deal. "Or you could give us a heaven scroll. It wouldn't make a difference to you."

Hotaka rebutted that "Yes, but we already beat a team, by ourselves. Besides, right now you're in a weak state. We could take it from you-"

Shikamaru didn't thought this was stupid. "Just join together. If you go together, then you'll have two heaven scrolls and one earth scroll, with you only needing one earth scroll. And, when you fight another team, it will be two on one, almost assuring your victory. It's simple and efficient."

Hotaka seemed opposed to this. "But if Naruto went berserk again-"

"Won't be a problem. Look" Shikamaru pointed at Naruto, who was transforming his hair color from silver to blond slowly. "It's slow, but Naruto's regaining control. It shouldn't happen again. So, will you do it?" They all agreed.

"I'm in" Michiko said.

"Very well." Sasuke said in a monotone.

"Sure." Hotaka said.

"If I must." Yoko said

"If it'll get us to the tower." Sakura finished.

"…" Naruto was still out cold.

"So, it's all worked out, eh Shikamaru?" Choji asked.

"Yeah, we're done here. Let's go find a weak team."

Ino took charge "Alright! Team Ino, let's go!" She shouted, running through the bushes with Shikamaru and Choji following slowly behind.

So, the two teams sat there, waiting. Hotaka decided it was time to get moving. "Let's get going. We have to get moving while there are more scrolls available."

"But…what about Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"We can't leave without him. He's our squad member." Sasuke added.

Hotaka sighed 'Why did we have to say yes?' "Alright. We'll rest here for a few hours. Sakura looks like she's been up all night watching over you two. We'll wake up in four hours, and then if Naruto still isn't awake, we'll carry him. Clear?" Everyone nodded and prepared to sleep. Hotaka stayed on watch for the group.

After three hours of watching, he decided that since they were close to the river, he'd prepare some fish for them. He reached into the jar hanging behind him on his belt and took out twelve seeds. He threw them into the river, and used his chakra to embed them into the riverbed. Then, he waited. The moment a group of fish came swimming through, Hotaka shot wooden spikes out of the water, and caught twelve fish. He waded into the river to take the fish, and removed the wood that was above water to start a fire. He cleaned the fish with his kunai, removing the guts so they could be eaten properly. He cleared a small area and filled it with dirt, and put the wood on top of it in a teepee-style fire, and created twelve thin but dense sticks to use for cooking. Then, he waited for the others to wake up.

Ten minutes later, he woke the others up, and had Sasuke light the fire with a small fireball technique. The fish began to cook, and while they cooked, the five of them waited, until a certain blonde woke up.

"…Did that all really happen…?" Everyone quickly turned to Naruto, ready to defend themselves. They soon let their guard down, seeing his condition. Gone was the happy grin, replaced with a blank stare at the ground, with lips neither curved up or down. His hair, though blonde again, didn't match his expression. His skin was pale, sweat running down his face. His clothes were still torn and bloody, and while the torso wasn't all that bad, the left sleeve completely ripped to shreds, with only a few small strands of fabric near the shoulder, and it was the same up to the knee on his right leg. He was still tied up to the tree; the metal wires wrapped tightly around him.

"…let's get him down." Yoko suggested. Sasuke and Michiko got up and walked over to the tree Naruto was tied up to, some 5 meters away. Michiko took out her swords, and swung them in one fast motion, severing the wires. Naruto was about to fall, but Sasuke caught him, and put Naruto's arm over his shoulder, while he supported him at the waist. While walking Naruto back, Naruto's face gave the slightest twitch of anger. Sasuke put Naruto down beside him, and sat to his right. Michiko sat down to his left. Continuing from there, there was Yoko, Hotaka, and Sakura, who sat next to Sasuke.

Suddenly, Sakura remembered something. "Naruto, we found your headband. Here." She gave it to him, and he put it back on.

Hotaka handed everyone their first piece of fish, and everyone began eating in silence. When everyone finished their first fish, Hotaka put the last six on and turned to Naruto. "So, do you know what happened?"

"…Not really…"

"Why don't you start from when it started?" Yoko suggested.

"…Well…It started in the first exam. In the middle of it, my right temple started hurting. You were there, right Michiko?" She nodded.

"I saw it, too, from the reflection. I told the others, so why don't you tell us what we wouldn't know? Like…what did you do with it? Who did you mind-read?"

Naruto looked at her for a second before looking away. "So, you figured it out like I did?" They nodded again.

"Shikamaru figured it out, actually." Sakura said.

"…well, after I figured out what it did, I started mind-reading people, until I landed on Sasuke." Said person narrowed his eyes at this. "I caught his little mental discovery of what the exam was, and while he did the Sharingan copy, I got all the information from his head. After he finished, I figured out what everyone else was doing to cheat. Then, it stopped before the tenth question."

'Pretty brave to make that cocky speech without his mind-reading power.' Michiko thought.

'How could the dobe get that kind of power?' Sasuke thought, scowling.

"Alright, what else happened in this exam." Hotaka continued.

"During the exam, we got separated. When I got up, there was a giant snake trying to eat me. I ran into a tree, and while hiding there, I saw that sword in the ground a ways away. I ran to it, and I found this…extra strength to run and even strength to use the sword. I actually cut it's head off. Then, I ran back and caught up with my comrades. Sasuke was about to try to bargain our scroll away," Said person growled again. "but I intervened and he blasted me through some branches and summoned another snake. The last thing I remember was getting angry…and I started to fight the enemy…then he shoved his hand into my stomach and everything went black. That's all I can remember." He purposely left out his little conversation with the kyubi.

"I think we understand. So, I should probably tell you about our agreement-"

"I already know it."

"Wha! You were awake the whole time!" Michiko shouted at him.

"No…but I could hear it…somehow…that's how I knew about the fight."

"Well, if you already know, that will only make things easier. To start, I suggest we run over each other's fighting abilities again. Some of us-" he glances at Michiko "-may need to hear them again, and Naruto wasn't around to hear them, or even in control of his body. I guess I'll start."

Naruto was taking things in again. In the first exam, he'd only taken quick glances at them, not really caring, and had gotten several of their features wrong. Since Hotaka was speaking, he examined him again. His bangs surrounded his head in an upside-down V was long and fell to about his chin, though in the back it was flowing backwards, making it look shorter than the front. His eyes were a slightly darker brown than he remembered. He had a strong and confident expression, though serious now that Naruto had time to observe. He looked to be about two or three inches taller than Sasuke. He wore a brown long-sleeved shirt, but the sleeves were covered by his black jacket. His shirt seemed like a normal shirt, but the jacket had a symbol on the back; a leaf, etched in silver fabric that matched the zipper that gave off a shine in the light. He saw gloves on him that weren't on him when they first met. They were full, black gloves that seemed thin. Not many shinobi wore those. His pants were long and grey, nothing special, but the shoes were. They were black light-hiking boots; Naruto never saw a shinobi wear these. He wore a jar next to his equipment pouch, and the belt…belts themselves! The first one was brown, with some stars embedded in it along the strip. It fell slightly to his right side, and had a steel buckle with a complex symbol on it. The other was an ordinary dark-brown belt, with no buckle and fell to his left. The jar was held where the belts met in the back. The last thing he noticed was a vertical scar across his brow and the bridge of his nose, falling nearly under his left eye.

While Naruto observed, Hotaka began to speak "My name is Sasaki Hotaka. I specialize in wood style techniques and genjutsu, and I also excel in sensing Chakra. I enjoy walks in the woods and training. I hate it when these two fight." Both of his teammates glared at him. "My dream is not important. I'm more the leader of our group, as Yoko and Michiko are usually too busy circling each other to do it, so I try to keep them in check." 'Never works, though.' "I also have a high level of chakra, but my control needs work. I'm also slightly lacking physical skills, but my wood jutsus usually make up for that, and I have enough physical strength to get by."

Hotaka finished speaking, and after he was done, he motioned for Sakura to start.

'I see. He's revealing one member at a time in case of betrayal, instead of all at once. This way, we have to tell them our skills. Clever.' Sakura thought. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I usually combine effective basic jutsus with weapons and use my intellect to solve problems most of the time. I enjoy flowers and…" looks at Sasuke. "I hate Naruto" Naruto scowled from behind his arms, which were on his knees covering his mouth. He was hating this more and more. "I am the smartest student of our class. I like…" Looks at Sasuke, blushes madly. "My dream is to one day…" Looks at Sasuke, and squeals.

"…I think we get it. Yoko, why don't you go next?"

Yoko nodded and began to speak. Naruto began observing again. She had black hair running down her back, just below her shoulders. Her bangs were as long as the rest of her hair. Her eyes were completely black, like her hair. She was cute, Naruto would admit that. She wore a green shirt that had sleeves running to just below her elbows, and the shirt seemed slightly thick. The right sleeve was torn off, with the tattoo meaning "ocean" on it. She had brown pants that were slightly short, and wore traditional blue sandals. The bamboo tubes, which carried water, were all strapped together, and a large ocean wave was painted on the back of it. She was about one-and-a-half inches taller than Sakura.

"My name is Aoki Yoko. I enjoy the ocean, and sitting in fields and trees. I specialize in water techniques, and have some skill in genjutsu as well. I'm a long-range fighter, and I lack skills in close range. I have a decent level of chakra and an above average level of control. That is all that is necessary for you to know."

'She didn't give us much. More than Kakashi-sensei, though.' Naruto thought.

Sasuke spoke next. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I specialize in fire jutsus, as my clan was famous for. There's a lot I hate, and not much that I don't. I have no time for hobbies. Training is not a hobbie, it's a duty. My dream is to restore my clan, and avenge it. I have nothing more to say."

'So, this is the Uchiha survivor. I heard a lot about him. Maybe I'll get to fight him.' Hotaka thought.

Knowing Michiko would go next, Naruto began observing her. He found her…beautiful. She had hazel/light brown hair. She had two bangs in front that fell down the side of her face, slightly curving with her cheeks. She had two ponytails on each side of the top of the back of her head that swayed when she moved. They fell to just about her shoulderline. They were slightly visible when you looked at her from the front. He'd mistaken her eye color. He thought they were brown, but they were actually a dark blue. She had a slight blush on her cheeks and pink lips. She had almost no trace of baby fat on her face, leaving it slim and cute. Her skin color was like Sakura's. She wore a plain white undershirt, dirty from running in the forest, under a deep blue short-sleeved shirt that opened up with an upside-down V at the naval, the undershirt covered it though. Under her white shirt there was a small glimmer of metal. 'Armor, probably light armor for duels, and so it doesn't make noise.' She wore loose deep green pants that stopped just above her ankles. She wore the traditional shinobi sandals. She would have seemed like a normal girl, if not for a few things: There were two swords, both long wakizashis, each with blades about two-and-a-half feet long, with handles six inches long. The handles were golden with blue handgrips, and finally each contained a crescent pommel. She was slightly taller than Sakura by just over two inches.

"Hi! I'm Kimura Michiko. I mainly use my two wakizashis in combat, but I also use fire techniques. I enjoy flowers, training, and beating Yoko in sparring. I hate losing to Yoko while sparring. My dream…now's not the time for that. I'm more of the brawler in our team, but I can use fire techniques for medium-range, and Yoko backs me up with her water techniques. That's pretty much it for now."

"If you could use fire techniques, why didn't you use it when Yoko used the black mist to attack in the fight?"

"…I was in the middle of recovering from the sword nearly cleaving me in two!" She said in a slightly angry tone at the insult.

Everyone turned to Naruto, expecting him to tell them about himself. He crossed his legs, and told them. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I specialize in shadow clones and surprises. I'm not so good at chakra control, but I do have a lot of stamina. That's all."

Sasuke smirked. "What? No 'I'm gonna be hokage' speech."

Naruto turned to Sasuke and glared. "Shut up. I'm in no mood for this."

Sasuke turned away, slightly shocked that Naruto actually glared.

'Well, who would be in a good mood after what just happened to him?' Michiko thought to herself.

'Can't blame him, not after that.' Hotaka thought.

"Well, now that we know about each other, let's finish eating. When we're ready, we can go. We just need an earth scroll to finish the exam. Lets finish our meals and get going."

Everyone started eating their last fish, and Naruto thought about what he thought about these three new genin. 'I like these guys. Maybe I should get to know them better later.' As they were about to finish, a familiar Ninja in purple with glasses and a sash around his waist made an entrance, dousing the fire and splashing them lightly.

"Who did that!" Michiko and Sakura yelled in unison. Kabuto stared at them as if it was obvious. "You really are hopeless, aren't you? Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"…Eating…" Naruto replied.

"Yes, and cooking. That smell will have spread throughout the forest by now, and soon everyone in the forest will be after you."

"Are you after us?" Hotaka said, narrowing his eyes.

"No, no! I already have my scrolls, but my teammates and I were separated and we have to meet at the tower. I just thought I'd help you rookies out." With that, he turned to leave, but Sasuke stopped him.

"Wait." Kabuto turned around, with a look of confusion on his face. "Fight me."

"S-sasuke-kun, I know he's supposed to be an enemy, but he just warned us, and helped us out in the first exam! We shouldn't be fighting!"

"It doesn't matter. This is too good of an opportunity to pass up. It's six on one, an easy scroll, plus an extra."

Naruto protested. "Whoa, Whoa! Kabuto helped us out in the first exam! We owe him for helping us!"

Kabuto waved his hands in front of himself defensively. "I don't want any trouble, I was only trying to help!"

"Wait!" Yoko shouted, catching everyone's attention. "You don't mean to fight him, or else you wouldn't have challenged him formally. How about this instead? If Kabuto was to join us, we could help him get to his team, and he could give us information on the exams and fight if need be. It's a mutual benefit, just like what we have now. We only need the earth scroll, and we'll all be done."

Kabuto gave a sigh of relief and looked at the others. "I like that. How about it, Sasuke?"

"…Okay. This seems to benefit us. We'll have a jump on the competition if we get the information. That also puts us on 7 vs. 3."

"Exactly. Now, let's go. We should get finished with this as soon as possible." Kabuto said.

"Where are we going? If this is a trap, you're still outnumbered." Hotaka warned.

"I'll explain on the way. It's a common strategy in the forest late in the game. Now, let's go before any beasts –or worse- are attracted here from the smell of the fish." Naruto used some metal wire to tie his sword to his back. It was heavier than he remembered. With that, he jumped into the trees, the others close behind.

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"_I found it impossible to accept that my body had killed. I was only 12, and never meant to kill anyone, and then I hurt my own friends. I tried to maintain my happy face, but found it impossible. All I could think about was my sin. Soon, however, in new company I managed to overcome this sadness and retain my usual happiness."_

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"So Kabuto, what do you have planned?" Naruto asked.

Kabuto smiled "Right now, we're heading to the tower."

"Why?" Michiko asked.

"Simple. There are still several enemies to steal scrolls from out there. All of us share a common goal: get to the tower with both scrolls. So, the closer we get to the tower, the more enemies racing to the finish. This means that the tower is the likeliest place to find an enemy."

Sakura's face lit up with understanding. "So, we wait for them to come to us, then we take them down, right?"

"One-third right."

"Huh?" "Wha?" "…" "Whaddya mean!" "Hm?" "Please explain."

"Well, we're not the only ones to figure that out. Others have probably figured that out from the beginning, and laid traps there, while lurking in the trees. We're as good of targets as any, so stay on your guard. People can get pretty desperate in this exam."

Naruto yelled "I get it! While we wait to ambush, we may be ambushed. Heh! This'll be fun!"

"Yeah! It'll be fun to kick everyone's asses and walk away with all those scrolls!" Michiko yelled back.

"Cut it out, you two. There's still one more part." Kabuto looked serious, and everyone went silent. "There are an even lower form of ambushers: collectors. Even if your hand is on the door, don't drop your guard for a moment. The cruelty of this exam brings them out. They may not be good enough to beat the enemies they find, so they get their hands on as many scrolls as they can, just in case they need to barter safety from any strong enemies. Some even offer scrolls to members of their own village who fall short. In exchange, they can get information on the next exams from veterans of these exams, increasing their chances of passing the future exams, which I have been so kind as to do it for free. And then, there are those who don't want scrolls, but lives! They want to eliminate any strong competition before the next exam, so they have it easy." Everyone had a serious face, even Naruto. "These teams are ruthless and deadly, and never drop their guard. They're the worst kind of enemy."

Sasuke smirked. "So, you knew you needed help, so you came to us. Safety in numbers, right?"

Kabuto smiled again. "Yeah!"

"I think we got the numbers covered. Now, we just gotta find a team!" Michiko said.

After about two hours of traveling, they were in view of the tower about a mile away. Everyone had their guard up, ready to strike at the sound of movement. Maybe they were a little too prepared. There was a small thud behind them, and Naruto reacted without thinking…again. He threw a kunai behind him, impacting the target. Michiko saw Naruto throw the kunai and threw three shurikens at the target. When they finally analyzed the situation, they saw they hit: a giant centipede.

"Woah…" Kabuto couldn't say more than that.

"A giant bug…gross!" Sakura wined, shaking with disgust.

Finally, Kabuto got over the initial shock and looked at the two. "Naruto, Michiko, do you even know the meaning of stealth? Let me make this simple: If we announce our presence to every soul in the forest, there'll be a lot more than a giant bug to meet us. The goal is to give the welcome party." Naruto and Michiko grumbled okays, and Kabuto continued. "From now on, make no noise; we move in silence."

Fifteen minutes into their silent walk, Hotaka noticed something wasn't right. 'Something's messing with my senses…genjutsu; like the one Naruto used on us.' Silently, he took out a kunai and reflected it off the sun, using morse code to alert his teammates to their situation. He told them that when they were absolutely sure of the enemy's location, they would attack, and hopefully take them out in one blow.

It was another ten minutes of going in a circle before Yoko sensed them. She stealthily sent her water to their general area and made a water clone. It was about to strike them when one of the ninjas turned around and cut it with a double-ended kunai. Sasuke heard the water clone being destroyed and reacted on reflex, knowing it was an enemy. "Katon: Goukakyu no jutsu!" The fireball flew into the trees, forcing the enemy ninjas to reveal themselves. Each had a white suit on and a breath mask, and each had a blindfold; one with no eyeholes and spiky white hair, one with one eyehole and a headmask covering his skull, and one with two eyeholes with spiky brown hair. They were from the rain village.

"Where'd you come from!" Naruto yelled. He had become fatigued from jumping with the giant sword.

"They're the enemy, dobe. Didn't you see them jump from the tree?"

Kabuto spoke in an official tone "Now's not the time. We've got to defeat them for the scroll."

The one with two eyeholes laughed. "You? Beat us? Heh, your numbers won't matter. Observe." The three jumped into another tree, and before the others could react, there were hundreds of black and oily figures crawling towards them. The seven of them formed a circle, everyone facing outward.

"This is it" Michiko said with an evil smirk, ready to make hand signs.

"Hah! This is the perfect handicap!" Naruto yelled, but Kabuto saw differently.

'He's fatigued from carrying that sword all day. He's already at a disadvantage, and if he dies, his teammates can't pass.'

"These are all clones…but I've never seen any clones like this before. They must have some special ability." Hotaka thought aloud.

"Th-then what are they?" Sakura asked, stuttering.

"This is it. You're trapped like bugs in a jar!" It was true. The enemy was everywhere: left, right, front, back, and even above.

"SHUT UP!" Naruto yelled, running towards the closest one and punching it in the stomach, knocking it off its feet.

"Looks like these clones can't take it." Sasuke said. But just then, the clone ripped apart, and sprouted another torso. "Wha!" The clone grabbed a kunai and readied a stike, but Yoko threw four shuriken at the attacking arm, causing it to rip apart, and reform again after the shuruken had passed through it.

"What are these things?" Sakura asked

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and tried to see what was going on. 'I've got to see to the heart of this!'

Just then, the same ninja that had his arm filled with shuriken threw his kunai at Sasuke. Sasuke was about to dodge, but felt the mark on his neck throb in pain, absorbing his chakra. He froze up, and couldn't move. "What the- drop!" Kabuto yelled, and tackled Sasuke to the ground. The knife managed to cut Kabuto's left shoulder. It was shallow, but enough to make him grunt. 'What happened? My body won't move…it's petrified!" Sasuke couldn't see it, but he could feel the answer: the curse mark was spreading, sending fire-like black marks around it.

"Are you alright Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked

"Ugh."

'That blow was real, not just an illusion. How are they doing this?'

"Surrender your scroll!"

Naruto was confused. "Wait! Does the fact that they actually hurt Kabuto physically mean these are solid clones, and not regular clones? Usually, when a clone has any substance, they disappear once you hit them hard enough…but these guys are still here. So what? Is this just a genjutsu, or what, damnit!"

"Wait, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled.

"!"

"They really are just clones, normal illusions cast by the enemy somewhere in the trees."

"But Kabuto's wound is real! Clones can't do that!" Michiko yelled, before realizing it was true. "Wait…you mean-"

Hotaka shook his head. "Yeah…Sasuke's right. The illusionist is watching close by, and synchronizing real attacks with the attacks from his illusions we think we're seeing. It was intended to make it seem as though the clones were really fighting."

"So all we gotta do is hunt down the real coward and that'll end the illusion, right?" Naruto asked.

"No." Kabuto told Naruto. "That's what he wants us to do. He's able to convince us to believe the kunai are coming from any direction he wants. If we try and find him that way, we'd only be doing what they want. I have experience in this. These guys must be wimps in taijutsu. They won't come out until we're completely defenseless. Right now, our only choice is to keep avoiding their attacks."

"Are you crazy!" Everyone turned to Naruto. "We can't dodge forever! The only way to get rid of them all quickly is to take out the clones. If we take out all the illusions at once, the illusionist wouldn't be able to hurl kunai knives at us without giving away their hideout!"

'Brave words. Maybe this guy's not all talk.' Michiko thought

'This guy…really wasn't lying when he gave that big talk earlier.' Hotaka thought

'You idiot. You'd just be wasting chakra.' Kabuto thought.

'We can't keep this up much longer. This could be our only hope.' Sasuke thought.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto yelled, creating fifty clones to fight the illusions. They all charged at the clones, using their fists instead of their giant swords. 'It's too heavy to lift without that power, and I still have to divide my focus to keep it from controlling me. Damn, this is bad!'

Naruto and his clones started punching the hundred clones, and dispelled most of them with a few punches. Soon, there were only about ten clones left.

"Heh." Said one of the enemies. "It looks like we'll have to increase our numbers." He created another few hundred clones to keep them preoccupied.

"Oh, come on!" Naruto's clones kept charging them, and the enemy would occasionally strike a clone in synch with his clone.

"Should we help?" Sakura asked.

"We got a choice?" Michiko said smirking.

"Let's hope they run out of stamina before we do." Kabuta finished and the six of them charged at the clones. Everyone got out a kunai and Michiko drew her swords, and everyone began helping the Naruto clones destroy the illusions.

The fighting lasted for half an hour, until finally all of the Naruto clones were destroyed and the seven real fighters were down on their knees, panting. Naruto had more stamina, but he couldn't use it because he still had to hold back that other power. "Damn. That's" pant "all it" pant "got." pant. Everyone else was out of chakra and Sasuke had lost his Sharingan.

The rain ninja decided it was time to finish them off. "That's enough guys. They're done for. Let's finish them."

"Heh. We've been torturing for over half an hour now."

"Only their bodies remain. Easy pickings."

The clones around the seven genin disappeared, and out from the trees appeared the three rain ninja. Sasuke flinched, realizing something he hadn't before.

"Wait…I know you." He said.

"That's right. You're the one that maimed my shoulder yesterday; what luck. Making us work so hard to get to you. Time for me to return the favor." He raised a kunai, and prepared to strike. But, he never threw it. He stared in confusion as the seven of them smirked, and heard a rustling in the bushes behind them. They looked around, and saw six genin: Sasuke, Sakura, Hotaka, Michiko, Yoko, and Kabuto.

"Who's the easy picking now?" Sasuke said, Sharingan blazing.

"Nice job Naruto!" Michiko yelled her congratulations.

"You rain ninja are all bark and no bite." Yoko said.

"Thank's Naruto. You gave us the time we needd." Kabuto said.

The rain ninja with two eye holes, who seemed to be the leader, spoke in confusion and fear. "How the-! N-no way! How-? When-?"

The six just glanced at the seven behind them, and six of them turned back into Naruto shadow clones, while the real Naruto bragged. "Losers!" pant "Never show" pant "your backs" pant "to your enemy," pant "you cowards!" pant. Naruto dispelled the shadow clones and stood up shakingly.

'When could that runt have-?"

"You thought the shadow clones were his only trick, but when combined with the transformation technique, they make a great distraction." Kabuto said.

"We just had to sneak up behind you using an illusion I cast. My genjutsu beats yours anyday." Hotaka said triumphantly.

Naruto tried to keep standing, but with the stress of holding back the foreign power, the giant sword weighing him down, and his fatigue took its toll on him and he dropped to his knees. "!"

"Naruto, you've done enough." Sakura said.

"Yeah. We'll take care of the rest." Sasuke finished. The rain ninja turned towards the six standing genin, but quickly regretted it as the one on the right felt a powerful blow to his right cheek, and forced him to hit his other teammates. They went skidding a few feet back, and everyone turned to see Naruto standing, sword in hand, with a smirk. "Never! I'll never stand around and watch you get all the fun! Besides, I gotta repay you guys for saving me earlier!"

Everyone was shocked that Naruto was still standing after all that fighting. However, Kabuto, Yoko, Sasuke and Hotaka were able to see that Naruto was on the brink of pushing himself too far.

'How can he still be standing! He should have passed out from losing all that chakra!' the rain nin with the skull mask thought.

'This Naruto is completely different from before. He always just…where did all this improvement come from!' Sasuke thought with a hint of jealousy. He deactivated his Sharingan; the seal was sucking his chakra.

'Naruto…his chakra's immense, surpassing even mine! Who is he? …could he…?' Hotaka thought, with disbelief written on his face.

'Not even Hotaka can last this long. I wonder how long he can keep fighting' Yoko thought.

'…Naruto…don't push yourself too far.' Sakura thought.

'He still has the strength to use that sword! No way!' Michiko thought.

'This kid…if he ever got control of all that chakra, he'd really be a monster!' Kabuto thought, with a smirk.

"You've got some skill…but it doesn't matter. We're still on the offensive." The leader of the rain ninja said. "We've got plenty of time. Now, we'll demonstrate our own ninja skills!" He performed some hand seals, and hundreds of clones surrounded them, this time looking real. "Oboro Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"What are these! Are they like shadow clones!" Naruto asked.

"No…they're ordinary clones…but there's got to be something about them, so stay on guard."

"Forget that! Most of them are illusions, so let's just plow through them until we find the real ones in the crowd!" Michiko suggested.

"Wait, I have an idea." Sasuke said. 'I hope I can hold it.' He activated his Sharingan, and for a split second, he was able to determine that none in the crowd were real, before his seal throbbed and he had to release it. He dropped to one knee and gripped the back of his neck. 'What's happening!'

"Sasuke-kun!' Sakura yelled, running over to help him.

"…it's no use. The real ones aern't in the crowd…argh!" Sasuke as cut off as the seal throbbed again.

While everyone's attention was on Sasuke, one of the rain ninja prepared to strike Naruto, but Kabuto tackled Naruto out of the way, taking the blow for him. "Kabuto!" Naruto yelled. He tried to swing his sword at some of the clones, but it took almost all of his strength just to raise his sword. He swung it, but it just went through the clones and they reformed as if nothing had happened. The real rain ninjas appeared from under the ground and cut Kabuto using their double-ended kunai on his arms, legs, and torso. Hotaka's team ran to help, along with Naruto while Sakura helped Sasuke. The rain ninjas saw this and hid himself in the ground, and as Naruto ran up to fight him, his arm appeared from the ground and cut Naruto across the right eye vertically, leaving a deep cut in the skin and blinding him in that eye. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Naruto yelled in pain. He grabbed his right eye with both hands, dropping his sword, and fell to his knees, leaning forward so his face almost touched the ground.

"NARUTO!" everyone yelled. Naruto was still gasping in pain, but suddenly, he stopped.

'The pain stopped! But…how!' Suddenly, Naruto felt the same evil presence begin to take over his mind. "N-not again!" he yelled. While Kabuto watched the spectacle in confusion, the other five looked in horror. They all had the same thought in their minds 'Please, anything but this again…'

Naruto stood up, his hair slowly turning silver, and his right eye whole again; not even a scar remained. 'It already healed!' they thought. His right eye was glowing red, and his left eye was a venomous green with a black slit once more.

Before anyone had time to block, he picked up his sword and swung it, creating a great wind infused with chakra, destroying all of the clones and sending Michiko, Hotaka, and Yoko into the trees, coughing up blood from the impact. They fell to the ground on hands and knees. Naruto looked around and smirked. He created two shadow clones and each plunged their hand into the earth in a specific spot. When each hand came up, they held one of the rain ninja, each had horror adorned on their faces. They threw them to the ground in a pile, and the clones disappeared.

"Wha-what are you doing!"

"…heh. Pathetic."

Naruto kicked the three of them into another pile five meters away, and prepared for the final strike. "Say good-bye!" He raised his sword above his head and ran in front of them, swinging downward. "Die!"

_CLANG!_

Michiko had stepped in front of Naruto and blocked the blow with an X-block, but it still pushed her arms down. Naruto slowly pushed his sword downward, inching the blade closer to Michiko's head. She looked at Naruto with a pleading look in her eyes and face.

"Naruto, please stop…" she begged him. Naruto kept wearing that grin of his, and pushed the blade down farther. It was only a few inches from the top of her head when Michiko brought Naruto back to reality: she coughed up blood.

Naruto's eyes widened in realization as the blood ran down her chin. 'I did that…me.' Naruto's will to avoid causing his friends more pain pushed back the strange force. He pulled his sword out of the lock and dropped it by his side, facing Michiko face-to-face. His face was one of shock mixed with fear, cursed with heavy breathing. Naruto had used all his stamina to regain control and couldn't stand. He fell forward-right into Michiko. She caught his limp body in her arms, both giving off a small blush at the close contact.

"L-let's get you back to the others." She slid him to her left side and put an arm around his waist, while he held his arm that was behind her neck and helped him walk back. Hotaka and Yoko were already there. "I'm sorry…" he told them.

"It's okay. You weren't in control." Hotaka comforted him.

"Let's go lie down for a minute." Yoko suggested.

Naruto agreed with a slight nod, and they went to rest in the sunlight.

"Michiko…why did you risk your life for those scum?" Naruto asked once they lied him down.

Michiko shook her head. "It wasn't them I was saving. It was you. I couldn't let you become that thing again. I had to help." She said with a small smile

Naruto let a small blush slip past him, but it was too small for most to notice…but of course, Hotaka saw it, and gave a small smirk.

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"_These people had forgiven me so easily, and helped me when I had needed it. They weren't like Sasuke and Sakura were at the time. They welcomed me, and befriended me, and I did the same to them. They gave me the one thing I was looking for: acknowledgement._

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Meanwhile, Sasuke, followed by Sakura, had gone over to the defeated rain ninja to make their demands.

"Well, it looks like it's over. If you would be so kind as to hand over your scroll, we'll be on our way. If you refuse, well…you're not really in a condition to fight."

'Sasuke-kun is sooooooooo cool!' Sakura thought.

"Here…take it…just let us go…" He took out an earth scroll and laid it in front of him. Sasuke took it and made a motion for them to leave. They limped off into the woods, leaving the others alone.

"Thanks Naruto. You saved my ass back there." Kabuto thanked him. He'd been under attack and was covered in cuts. "Still…where did you get that power?"

"…I don't know…"

"Okay. Well, looks like you guys got your last scroll." Everyone looked at Sasuke, who was holding another earth scroll. Kabuto walked over to Sasuke to congratulate him, but before he could speak, Kabuto saw the curse mark on Sasuke's neck. "Whoa. That's one huge bruise!"

"…It's fine. Nothing."

"Okay…well then, let's finish this. We still gotta head to the tower." Everyone nodded in agreement, and prepared to leave. Naruto was still too weak to move well, so he was assisted by Michiko to his left and Hotaka to his right. After everyone was ready, they jumped into the trees and started jumping to the tower. After fifteen minutes of jumping in silence, they arrived at the tower, where they met Kabuto's team, both dressed like Kabuto, but with face masks.

"You're late, Kabuto. What kept you?" said the one with sunglasses.

"Well, I ran into some trouble, but these teams and I managed to find a mutually beneficial agreement."

"Relax. Thanks to Kabuto, we all have a complete set of scrolls!" Michiko said.

Kabuto smiled. "No need to thank me. You earned them, especially you, Naruto. You did most of the work. Good job."

"…" Sasuke was jealous that Naruto was getting all the acknowledgement for the fight.

Kabuto's other teammate with normal glasses spoke up. "This door is the one we enter. Good luck, everyone."

"Yeah!" Naruto yelled, having regained his confidence from Kabuto's comment. Both he and Kabuto exchanged a small smile, before they walked away, Naruto still being supported by Michiko.

'Uzumaki Naruto…the others will definitely be interested in him.' Kabuto thought while entering.

Next, it was Hotaka's team's door, and they bid each other good-bye. Naruto had regained enough strength to walk by himself, and they made their way to the final door. They broke the paper and entered. Inside, there was a large room, and at the far end was a poem. They walked over to it, and examined it.

"Sooooooo…what do we do here?" Naruto asked.

"Hey! Look at that!" Sakura said.

Sasuke read it for them. "If qualities of Heaven are your desire, Acquire wisdom and knowledge to take your mind higher. If Earthly qualities are what you lack, Train your body in the fields and prepare to attack. When both Heaven and Earth are opened together, The path of peril will revert to the righteous path forever. This " " is the secret way… …that guides us on from this place today. The Third Hokage."

"If heaven…your desire…I don't get it!" Naruto was frustrated. "And what's with the blank space?"

"I think it refers to the scrolls we collected. I think we may have to open both scrolls at once…but…" Sakura didn't finish. Instead, Sasuke just handed the heaven scroll to her and the earth scroll to Naruto.

"Well…what are we waiting for?" With that, the two scrolls were opened. Both had various symbols from the traditional language and in the center had the symbol for person, or humanity.

"Huh?" Naruto said in confusion.

"Person…? Humanity…?" Sakura thought aloud.

Suddenly, the scrolls began to sizzle, smoke coming from the symbols. 'It's a summoning spell!' Sasuke realized. "Naruto, Sakura, let go of the scrolls!"

Neither had any complaints to his command and both threw the scrolls several feet in front of them. There was a large cloud of smoke emitted, and once the smoke parted, it revealed a man with brown hair in a short, spiky ponytail above his head. He wore traditional shinobi clothing, and had dark eyes and a horizontal scar across his nose and below his eyes. "Hey kids. Long time no see."

"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked. "Wha?"

"What's going on?" Sakura asked.

"Well, you three look like you've had a rough time. Naruto, what happened to you? And where did you get that sword?" Iruka asked, looking at Naruto's tattered clothes with a missing sleeve and a missing leg up to the knee, and then looked at the giant sword on Naruto's back.

"Heh heh…long story." Naruto said scratching the back of his head. "Anyway, why're you here? What was with that summoning spell?"

"Simple. It was designed so that we Chunin could greet the applicants when they complete this exam. It was just our good luck that I ended up with you guys."

"So, you're a messenger?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, and I must say you've made me proud. You completed the exam in just under a day!' He told them happily. "Congratulations to all of you. You've just finished the second exam! This calls for a celebration! I'd like to take you out for Ichiraku Ramen, but…" He was cut off as a small orange and yellow blur gave him a tackling him.

"YEEEEEEEEEEES!"

"H-hey, Naruto! Let me finish my-"

"YES! YES! YES! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" Iruka looked down on his young friend and smiled. 'He never runs out of energy.'

Sakura fell to her knees and let out a sigh of relief. Sasuke sat down and smirked. 'He never does run out of energy, even after all that.' Finally, Sakura had enough of Naruto's joy. "SHUT UP, NARUTO!"

"You haven't slowed down at all, have you, Naruto?" Iruka asked, already confident about his answer.

"Hmph, never." Sasuke answered for him. Naruto was still too busy dancing with joy to hear, letalone answer the question. "Hey, I was wondering. What would've happened if we sneaked a peek at the scroll before we got here?" Naruto stopped jumping with joy, and looked at Iruka with a confused face. Sakura wanted to know as well.

"Well, you're as sharp as ever, Sasuke. It looks like you've already guessed there was a safety mechanism to ensure people who looked at the scroll wouldn't be in any state to continue. An important component of this exam was for the applicants to demonstrate the ability to follow the guidelines of the mission. One of those guidelines was to not open the scrolls until you were inside the tower."

Sakura wanted more to the answer. "Well, what if we had looked in the scrolls?"

"Well, let's just say they'll be regretting it by the end of the exam. We were given very specific orders. Anyone standing around an open scroll were to be knocked out until the exam was over. No one thought about taking a peek, did they."

Naruto cringed. He would admit to have thought about opening their earth scroll and to copy it. It wouldn't have been hard. He'd been cut off as Kabuto splashed the fire with water. 'Kabuto, I owe you one.' He thought, giving his thanks through prayers.

Sakura wiped some sweat off of her forehead. She'd thought of it too, and was really relieved Kabuto had intervened. 'That was close. If we'd opened them…'

"You were actually thinking about violating the objective? Idiots." Sasuke's words made both of them stiffen slightly. 'Good thing Kabuto came. The others may have actually agreed to it if they'd suggested it.'

Suddenly, Sakura remembered the poem on the wall. "Iruka-sensei, can you please tell us about that scroll on the wall? It looks old; what does it mean, anyway?"

"Who cares? We passed! It doesn't matter anymore!" Guess who.

"Wrong, Naruto. It's part of why I'm here, to tell you what the poem means. Once you do that, then you're really finished with the second exam." He pointed to it. "Read it again. It's the directive set down by the Third Hokage for all Chunin ninja."

"…Directive? I don't get it…" Naruto said, completely lost.

"Let me explain. In the text, the word "Heaven" refers to the human mind, and "Earth" refers to the human body." Sasuke was starting to get it.

"If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom and knowledge to take your mind higher. In other words, if Naruto's weakest aspect is his mind and knowledge, he's got to study hard and learn the principles that will help him on future missions." Naruto was scowling, clearly ticked off by that comment. Sakura was giggling in the background, which Naruto didn't find pleasant at all.

"And…" this cut Sakura off immediately. "If Earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body in the fields and prepare to attack. If Sakura's weakest skill is her own physical strength, she must train hard and find the riches of physical stamina, strength, and skill."

"Heh heh…" Sakura stuck her tongue out and scratched the back of her head. Naruto smiled, satisfied he got his just revenge.

Iruka finished by looking at Sasuke. "And once you access the qualities of both Heaven and Earth, no mission, however dangerous, will be a wrong path for you." He smiled. "You'll be walking a safe path, even in the midst of the most perilous mission. That's all."

"Wait…what about that blank space there? Does something go there?" Sakura asked.

"Heh. The word that goes there is a description of what every Chunin should be. The single word that goes in the blank space is the one from the scrolls. It's one person or all people." He showed them the scroll, and there, in the center in traditional language was the symbol. "The challenge of seeing who survived these past five days and could complete the mission was a part of the exam designed to test the basic abilities that a Chunin should have. You all passed with flying colors. Chunin are the commander class, responsible for leading their team. Not only that, but they are responsible for their lives. They can only accomplish this by combining their intelligence and strength. Make sure you know this. Learn it, show it, live it. Believe in it, or it's all worthless, and you'll never be worthy of the rank of Chunin. Keep the Chunin directive foremost in your mind as you move on to the next stage of the exam." He gave them all a stare, giving a silent message that they all got. "Well, that's the entire message. Congratulations, everyone!"

"Yes sir!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically.

Iruka looked at Naruto, with a concerned look in his eyes. Naruto faltered, his determination failing for a second.

"Listen…about the third exam…don't overdo things." He turned to Naruto. "Especially you, Naruto. I still worry for you."

Naruto gave him a determined look, intermixed with some anger. "The day I graduated from the academy, and received this headband, I stopped being a student! Don't worry about me! This headband…it's proof of my maturity, and you gave it to me! My temper hasn't changed, and I'm still impulsive, and a little hyper, but I'm no kid anymore!" Iruka looked slightly shocked. His look matched that of Sasuke and Sakura. "I'm finally a true shinobi! You got that!" Naruto never lost eye-contact.

Iruka smiled. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I shouldnt've doubted you." 'Kakashi was right. They aren't my students anymore. Looks like he really knows what these ki-…young shinobi are capable of.'

"Well, since you finished early, you still have about seventy-two hours to enjoy yourselves. I can't treat you to ramen, but there's plenty of food inside the tower. Enjoy it, because in four days, the third exam will begin."

"YEEAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Naruto yelled. "Where is it, huh? Huh? Huh?"

"Calm down, Naruto. It's just up the stairs. Don't go through that door yet. That room is forbidden to enter for now. Some of the contestants have already passed, and then there're beds for you to sleep in. That's really all there is, so I'll see you in the third exam!" He poofed away, and Naruto ran up the stairs, followed by Sakura and Sasuke. When they reached the top, there was a giant, dark room with benches and more stairs at the far end. The stairway was illuminated with light. They could see Hotaka's team waiting for them in the dark room. "Hey. Glad to see you made it. Let's eat."

"You waited for us?" Sasuke asked inquisitively.

"Why not? We only waited for about a minute anyways." Michiko replied.

"Let's go. There's plenty of food, and only two other teams have passed, not including Kabuto's team. Most of them are eating. Let's go see them." Yoko suggested. Everyone nodded, and they left the dark room for the lighted stairs.

Not even Sasuke could keep from drooling at the sight. They were in a giant room, full of set tables worthy of a three-star restaurant. In the middle of the room, there was a long table filled with food. There was soba and udon noodles, rice, sushi, vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, pork, beef, chicken, beans, tofu, fruits, and fish, with tea, water, juice, and milk to drink.

Naruto ran for it and grabbed three plates. He stacked them with everything he could carry. He grabbed everything except the vegetables and mushrooms, and took extra noodles. On top of the food, he carried two cups, one filled with juice and one filled with milk. He carried one plate in his mouth and a plate each in his hand

Michiko was next, and took one plate full of meat, another plate with noodles and some vegetables and sushi. She carried a cup of milk in her mouth on the way to the table.

Sakura made it next and took one plate with sushi, vegetables, rice, and some chicken. She also had a cup of tea.

Hotaka came next and took two plates with rice, sushi, fruit, and every type of meat, with noodles on the side and eggs. He put his plate on the table and went back to get some milk and water.

Sasuke and Yoko both arrived at the same time and took a plate each, knowing they could come back later for more. They both took tea, but Sasuke took rice and beans, with some vegetables, tofu and fish. Yoko took some noodles, rice, vegetables, mushrooms, and fish.

Everyone walked to a free table, and sat down. Naruto sat down in the middle, with Michiko sitting to his left and Hotaka sitting to his right. Sasuke sat in the middle on the other side, with Yoko to his left and Sakura to his right.

"Finally! A real feast. Itadakimasu!" Naruto finished and started digging into his first plate. He would occasionally stop and take a drink. He was done with his first plate before most others were half-way done.

Michiko was hungry and was eating quickly though more politely and slower than Naruto. She ate faster than average, but not by much.

Hotaka was hungry and was eating almost as fast as Naruto. After all, he didn't take the nap the others got to. By the time Naruto was half-way through with his third plate, Hotaka got up to get another plate.

Sakura ate slowly, trying to act sophisticated in Sasuke's presence. However, she was finding it hard with everyone else eating so fast around her. She had to get up for seconds when she was done, despite her diet.

Sasuke ate faster than Michiko, but with the same time did it like everything else he did: cool and mysterious. He finished his first plate and went for seconds, and even went for thirds.

Yoko ate the slowest, enjoying the food and drink. She finished her first plate and went for seconds, but stopped there. When she was done, she still went to get more tea, taking small sips.

In the end, Yoko had eaten two plates of food and drank five cups of tea, Sasuke ate three plates and three cups of tea, Sakura had eaten two plates and three cups of tea. Hotaka ate five plates and six cups of milk and water. Michiko ate three plates and had two cups of milk. Naruto out-ate them all with seven plates and nine cups of milk. When everyone was done eating, they sat back and talked.

"Wow, you eat a lot, Naruto." Hotaka joked.

"You're one to talk." He joked back, before noticing something. "Wait, was that a joke? I thought you were serious about everything!"

"In battle, yes. Here, there's no need. Besides, what's life without a little fun? After all, you never know how long you live in the ninja business." He said with a smie.

"Yeah!"

"Yeah, but you're never serious." Sasuke said.

"Well, better than never being fun!" Naruto replied.

"Please, we just got out of the forest. Can we have a little calm?" Yoko pleaded.

"I guess…" "Hmph." Naruto and Sasuke agreed.

"Hey, there's been something I wanted to ask." Sakura looked at Michiko. "If you use fire techniques, why didn't you use any when we fought?"

"Well, Sasuke uses them too, and I'm better in close combat anyway. I usually use them if I have to use long-range, but I wanted to conserve Chakra in the fight."

"That makes sense." Sakura said.

Yoko was curious about something too. "I've got something, too. Why did Sakura fight with a sword?"

Michiko replied. "Well, Shikamaru said that we should hide my swords and Hinata and Neji should transform into them. Then, Since Sakura was the only one who was available, we would both use a sword and a kunai. This way, we'd be able to use a double-team strategy. Sakura actually wasn't that bad. She just had to block the sword and dodge, so our job was actually pretty easy, since our opponent was already worn down."

Sakura was a little down. She just took a spare job, and didn't have any special talents. 'I have to get stronger. I'm just a backup player.' Her sad look turned into one of determination. 'I have to get better, or Sasuke-kun will never notice me!'

Naruto looked down too. He still wasn't very happy about being reminded about the fight. Hotaka, Yoko, and Michiko all noticed.

"Hey, Naruto, don't worry about it. It's over." Hotaka comforted him.

"Yeah. Relax. We're friends, right?" Michiko said in a comforting tone.

Naruto looked up slightly, and gave a small smile. "Yeah…"

"So there's no need to blame yourself. Besides, you stopped that thing possessing you earlier today before it killed Michiko. We can't blame you." Yoko added.

"So, Naruto, you back to normal?" A loud voice came from a door to the right side of the room. Everyone turned to see Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. They walked towards their table and sat down. "You don't seem crazy, and Akamaru isn't scared."

"I'm not going insane again." Naruto said, annoyed.

Shino turned to Kiba. "He won't do it again. My bugs can sense danger."

"N-Naruto-kun, are you alright?" Hinata managed to stutter out.

"I'm fine."

Hinata noticed something. 'He seems…colder. Did that thing really change him that much?'

"Well, if you're back to normal, looks like everything's okay. Mind if we join you?"

Hotaka smirked. "Looks like you already did." Everyone at the table laughed…some louder than others.

"So, when did you guys get here?" Sakura asked.

"About two hours after our groups separated." Kiba answered.

"So, you got here at about ten. We were the third group; we all got here at the same time." Michiko said.

Sasuke had a question of his own. "If you were the second group here, who were the first?"

His question was answered as a group of three sand ninjas walked out of the stairs to the left. The boy in the middle with short, wild red hair and a symbol for "Love" on the left side of his head. His skin was pale, and he showed signs of insomnia. He had black lines around his eyes, which were aquamarine. He wore black pants and a black short-sleeved over a fishnet shirt. Over that was a brown sash on his left shoulder that went to his right hip, which had his forehead protector on, and was also holding a giant desert-colored gourd with symbols on it. Across that was a white sash on his right shoulder and went to his right hip. He had a blank face, devoid of expression.

To his right was a tall boy who wore full black clothing, and had a black headmask, which had a sand village symbol on it. His shirt had a circle with a yellow half-circle on the left and a red half-circle on the right, surrounded by a white circle in the middle of his shirt. His face was painted with venemous purple face-paint on his lips, around his eyes, and formed sharp symbols on his cheeks, chin, and forehead. On his back was a human-sized bandaged-structure, with what looked like wild brown hair coming out of the top.

The last person on the boys left was a girl with blonde hair in four pig-tails behind her head. On her back was a long, black piece of what seemed to be metal. She wore a fishnet shirt under her long-sleeved shirt that went halfway down her upper leg, and was white with a hint of purple. She wore a red sash around her waist, and wore a fishnet leg wrap on her lower right leg and some on her upper fight leg. She wore her forehead protector around her neck.

They walked right past them, and Akamaru wimpered, while Kiba, Shino, and Hinata began sweating. 'It's that sand guy again.' Sasuke thought, smirking.

They were all getting something to eat, and sat at the far end of the room. Suddenly, Naruto realized something. "Hey, has anyone seen Kabuto's team?" Everyone shook their head. "Man, where is he? We've been here for nearly an hour now."

Michiko shook her head. "Who knows?"

Naruto got up. "Well, I'm going to bed. Kiba, you know where they are?"

"What? You're going to bed already? It's barely three!" said a shocked Kiba.

"Well, I'm tired. I wanna go to bed."

Shino answered to avoid Kiba's yells. "They're to the right side of the room. Most of the beds are available."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks Shino. Well, see ya!" Naruto walked across the room, and had to walk past the sand trio. He didn't know why, but the red headed boy glared at him, and though he kept the blank stare, Naruto could sense the killer intent. He walked past him and headed up the stairs. Once he reached the room, he saw a long hall, with two dozen beds on each side. He chose the closest bed to him, and fell face-first on top of it, and fell asleep in two seconds flat.

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"_I finally had people to really call my friends. Iruka, Michiko-chan, Hotaka, Yoko…all of them showed me they cared. They were the first people who I could really call my friends. That night, I fell asleep with a smile-the first true smile I had in a while. I wasn't alone…not anymore._

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"OI, NARUTO! WAKE UP!" came a yell from beside him. Naruto jumped up, and fell off his bed face-first, giving the floor the company of his face. Michiko looked at her work and smiled happily.

"Gah! What the- Michiko! What was that for!" He shouted, then pouted. "I was just having the coolest dream..." Naruto really was dreaming…when the foreign power wasn't trying to gain control over his mind. He'd been dreaming of winning the Chunin exams, mastering the new power, kicking Sasuke's ass, all of his new friends, and a certain girl he was developing a crush on.

Unfortunately, it was said girl who woke him up, and the hell he was gonna say anything; not after the way his crush with Sakura went.

"Michikooooooo, why did you wake me uuuuup?" He asked in a tired voice.

She smirked. "Well, you've only been asleep for two days, so I thought-"

"WHA! TWO DAYS!" Naruto couldn't believe he just slept that long. Had it really taken him that long to recover from the strain that power had put on his body?

"Yeah, so me and Hotaka and Yoko thought you'd like to hang out with us today. You've slept enough, I think."

"What time is it?" Naruto said groggily.

"Noon. Of course, if you'd like to sleep in some more, go ahead your majesty." She said sarcastically.

"No, I'll get up." Naruto was about to leave, when he remembered his sword, which was still strapped to his back. He undid the wire keeping it in place, and put it on his bed. He ran after Michiko downstairs, and the two of them met up with Hotaka and Yoko. "Hey everyone!"

"Hey sleepyhead!" Hotaka joked.

Naruto twitched and crossed his arms while the others laughed. "Not funny."

"Sure it was. By the way, careful next time. We caught Kiba trying to put your hand in warm water a yesterday." Yoko said.

Naruto was fuming. "DAMN! I'M GONNA KILL KIBA THE NEXT TIME I-"

"Calm down, Naruto. We'll go deaf if you yell anymore." Michiko said, trying to open up her ear canal.

"Anyway, wanna come with us Naruto?" Hotaka asked smiling.

"Why? There's not much to do here." Naruto said.

"Well, we were gonna get some lunch and then turn that dark room we came through earlier to train in. Wanna come along?"

Naruto grinned happily. "Sure! I'm starved!" He said before running for the food, but Yoko stopped him.

"Naruto, make sure to eat some fruits and vegetables this time. You eat too many noodles." she said.

"Aw man, I hate vegetables!" He pouted.

"Eat them" She said forcefully. Naruto sighed and grabbed the same things he had before, with a few vegetables. Everyone else ate a healthy meal, but this time there was time to talk while eating.

"Hey, I've got a question. None of you ever mentioned your dreams. What are they?" Naruto asked.

The three Genin looked down in silence. Naruto had hit a sensitive nerve without knowing it. "It's…not a nice thing to talk about…" Michiko answered for them.

"Why? What can be so bad about a dream?"

"It's not the dream, it's what it reminds us of." Hotaka said.

"Maybe I can help."

"…Okay. I'll tell you mine." Michiko said. "Okay." "I don't mind so much"

"How can it be so bad?"

Michiko spoke. "Well, we all basically have the same dream. You see, all of us were sent here at young ages, but none of us know where we're from."

Hotaka spoke next. "So, that's probably why we were all put on the same team. We were all too young to remember when where we came from, or who our families are."

Yoko finished for them "So, our goal is to find our families, and where we came from. That's tour dream, but we don't know where to start."

Silence followed. 'These people don't have family they know of either…'

Michiko recovered and spoke first. "Well, we told you our dreams, so you can tell us yours."

Naruto looked up and smiled. "Ever since I've been young, I've been disliked by the adults. One day, I wanna make them all recognize me. That's why, one day, I'm gonna be Hokage. That's right. Uzumaki Naruto, the next Hokage!" The three of them smiled at Naruto. He had guts, they'd give him that.

Hotaka looked at everyone's plates and decided it was time. "Well, looks like we're all done. Let's go spar."

Naruto got up, but remembered something. "Wait! I gotta get my sword!" He ran up to the room to get it, and punched a sleeping Kiba while running to his bed. He strapped his sword on, and ran out the door, but not before getting yelled at by Kiba. "I know what you tried to do to me!" Naruto yelled, which shut Kiba up, and he ran down to meet the others.

Everyone followed Hotaka into the dark room, and Hotaka turned around to face them. "Well, lets move these benches out of the way." The four of them moved the benches out of the way, and though there was still a few support poles, it was plenty large enough to spar. "Alright. Now that we're ready, let's start with stretching."

Naruto disagreed. "We don't need to stretch! Let's just start sparring!"

Michiko looked at Naruto and sighed. "Do you ever stretch before sparring?" He nodded. "That explains a lot. Stretching helps give you a better workout. Now do what we do." They began stretching their arms, legs, torso, and even necks. Naruto followed, and found it to be quite relaxing…most of the time.

Yoko went onto the next part. "Alright. Let's do our warm-ups."

"Wha! Are we ever gonna spar?" Naruto asked.

"After this. You really gotta learn to be patient." Hotaka said. Their warm-up included 200 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, running around the hall twenty times, 50 squat-thrusts, and 500 jumping-jacks. When they were done, everyone was sweating and breathing hard, and everyone vowed to eat extra for tonight.

"Was all that really needed? Wouldn't we gain that through sparring?" Naruto asked.

"These warm-ups target specific muscles, and build stamina. Plus, they make us tired, so we gain more muscle through sparring when we start. Basically, it gets us ready. We add more muscle when our muscles are already tired." Yoko explained.

Michiko began the sparring. "Alright. Let's do a free-for-all spar. After a half-hour, we'll take a break. Go!"

Before Naruto knew it, he was being punched left and right. He blocked one, and tried to counter-attack, but lost his grip and was kicked instead. He landed on his feet, only to see Michiko coming at him with a punch. He parried it, and tried to plant an uppercut in her jaw, and it connected, but Michiko used that force to kick him in the chin, sending him back. Hotaka came up to him and punched him in the gut, but Naruto was prepared. He blocked and grabbed his wrist, and pulled him forward, delivering a devastating blow to his jaw. Next to come was Yoko, whom waited for him to attack. Naruto jumped back, landed on the side of a pillar, and pushed forward, intending to tackle her, but she simply moved out of the way, and Naruto landed hard on the floor, and fell into a trap, courtesy of Hotaka, whom laid them throughout the arena. Naruto took out his sword and cut the net, but using the sword without the strange power took a lot of strength, and he couldn't hold it long. Michiko came at him with her swords, and he was forced to block most of her blows. He finally saw an opening, but she saw one first, and placed her sword on his shoulder, signifying she won the duel-until she noticed Yoko holding a kunai to her neck from behind. The fighting continued until the break. By that time, everyone was breathing heavily, and Naruto's sword was planted in the ground.

"Nice job, everyone." Hotaka said, bringing in four cups of water, which everyone drank in three seconds flat.

Naruto had been thinking of something that he wanted to try, but he needed help. "Hey, do you guys think you could help me with something?"

Michiko spoke first. "Yeah, sure! Whaddya need?"

Naruto bit his lip before continuing. "Well, I was gonna try and release a small bit of that power, without going insane."

"WHAT!" "ARE YOU CRAZY!" "…I wouldn't suggest it."

"Well, I resisted it earlier, so I wanted to try again. Can you please help me?"

"…are you sure, Naruto. It's risky." Yoko said.

"I've got to try. It takes a lot of focus to keep it at this level. Please?"

There was a long silence before they all nodded, but not before Hotaka got to lay traps around the arena, and everyone formed a circle around Naruto, ready to knock him out at any time. "Okay. I'm only going to release a small bit, just enough to use the eye, and a bit more strength." Everyone nodded cautiously, and took a fighting stance.

Naruto slowly lost some of his focus, and immediately gripped his head. The power was trying to take over his mind again, but he still had enough focus to subdue it. However, he did manage to activate his eye and some muscle strength. The only problem was, he couldn't get it to stop corrupting him! 'Oh shit! It's all or nothing. I've got to close it off!' To everyone else, they saw Naruto groaning and grunting in pain, gripping his head. They didn't do anything, until Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs into the air. "Naruto!" they yelled, running over to him. 'I've got no choice. I've got to close it off!' Naruto regained his complete focus, but lost consciousness at the extreme mental pressure. The last thing he saw was his friends coming over to him, checking his pulse, and heard they were taking him to a medic in the tower.

The next thing he knew, he was back in his bed, with his equipment by his side. He saw the other three a little ways away, sitting on a bed, and talking. He rubbed his eyes, and checked the clock. 'Two o' clock. It was only an hour? Not bad.' "Hey, how long was I out?"

Michiko looked up in joy. "You're awake! Good! The third exam starts in an hour!"

"I WAS OUT FOR TWO MORE DAYS!"

Hotaka nodded and chuckled. "Yeah. Do us a favor and don't do that again. Now, let's go eat. The exam starts soon. Get ready."

Naruto quickly strapped his shuriken and kunai holder to his leg. He took some more metal wire and strapped his sword to his back. Finally, he grabbed his forehead protector and tied it around his forehead. "Ready!"

Yoko nodded. "Good. Let's eat, and then you have to head to your room, fast."

The four of them ran down to the dining room and all grabbed a quick meal. They ate, and said their good-byes and headed for their respective doors. Naruto ran down the stairs and met up with Sasuke and Sakura. "Hey dobe. Glad you could join us."

Naruto sent Sasuke a glare, but no other reply. Iruka appeared and greeted them. "Hey kids. You ready?"

"Yeah! Let's go, Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka smiled. "Good. Now remember: from here on out, the competition will be fierce. Through those doors lies the arena where the third exam will be held."

"I said it in the first exam, and I'll say it now: No one's gonna beat me!"

Iruka smiled. "If you three have improved as much as Kakashi told me, you'll do fine. Now go. The third exam has begun."

Next time: The Third Exam, Part I: Taking the Heat!

**Notes (MUST READ MUST READ MUST READ MUST READ MUST READ MUST READ MUST READ MUST READ!)**

Attention! There is a vote coming up! This vote will decide which fic I will write next!

The rules are simple: I'll put out the titles and descriptions of four fic ideas I have, and you vote for two of them. The top two will be written alongside this fic, and the other two will be written later. You can vote for two fics, once after every update for the next three updates. That's the way things are. I will not change votes, so choose wisely. You can't put both votes on one, you have to vote for 2. Vote in a review. I can't decide which to start. That's why I'm having this vote. All stories will have an in-depth storyline, but none as in depth as this story. Note: some will not have pairings.

Here are the Choices:

**I Walk Alone**

'What's the point?' He said. Tired of standing the hatred of the villagers, Naruto leaves Konoha to find a new road, and starting over was just a new beginning of a new life: a mercenary.

**Unit-P-X-001**

Naruto has had a life filled with lies. The Kyubi, the Yondaime, the Hokage, his life, everything has been one giant lie…to protect him.

**New Reasons To Smile**

Banished, Naruto leaves Konoha to begin life anew, making new friends, traveling to new lands, and taking the plunge into a new life: The leader of The Wandering Jinchurikis. NaruXOC

**Through Thick And Thin (Title will be changed)**

NaruXOC SasuXOC Met with mutual understanding, Naruto and Sasuke develop a bond of brotherhood that exists only in true friends, and it leads them down a road they could've never imagined!

**IMPORTANT!**

This fic will, I repeat _will _be over 100 chapters, and it will be the longest fic on the net by the time I'm done with it, I promise. So keep patient. I've only just begun!

Hotaka is based off of Squall Leonhart from FF VIII. I'll have a few OC's based off of characters in other stories or games. I just thought Squall would be the perfect look for him.

Michiko is based off of the moogle girl from Final fantasy Advent Children. I was just watching it, thinking up a character design, when her scene came, and I thought it would work.

Yoko is completely original. I just thought of a look, and used it.

Well, that's 14,000 words right there. I'm on a roll!

Sorry about the late update. It won't happen again…unless something important happens, but I've been thinking up new ideas for fics, which you'll be voting for in your reviews.

I had a request to expand on Michiko, Hotaka, and Yoko. I hope I fulfilled that wish. I just had to wait for the right time to introduce them properly.

Here are my thank-yous!

Thank you, **got-ramen**, for your review, and as you have seen, the other Genin really didn't blame Naruto. And thanks for your comment on the fights.

Thank you, **AznAltron**, for your review, and I'll be sending you some translations I need for the next chapter, so you'll get a little peek at the action before anyone else! Thanks again for all the help!

Thank you, **Neccor**, for your review, and no, the Kyubi isn't a jinchuriki. Good guess, though (can bijus even be jinchurikis?) Well, thanks for your comment on the plan.

Thank you, **AzureSky123**, for your review. I'll update soon!

Thank you, **fabarati**, for your review, and I guess I was a little harsh there, and you were right. It was Gai and dobe in the Japanese version, so it was my bad. Thanks for the help!

Thank you, **Truth Is What You Make Of It**, for your review, and I only just realized he is like Guts. The red eye and everything else will be explained soon, but I only just realized that. Other than that, I'm glad you liked it!

Thank you, **Seynor Fier Mensheir**, for your review, and the others are a group of people similar to Naruto. They'll play a key role in my story, and they'll make an appearance soon in the story. You should've gotten a hint from this chapter if you paid attention. Well, all shall be revealed!

Thank you, **ofdarknesschaos**, for your review, and I'm glad so many people seem to be liking my work. I'll update soon!

Thank you, **The True Uzumaki**, for your review, and I'm glad you liked my view of the dark Naruto. Naruto's friends took it well when he returned; after all, a lot of crazy stuff happens in the ninja world, they're probably used to it by now.

Thank you, **Akira Stridder**, for your review, but you stopped at chapter 2. It doesn't really get good until chapter 3. I just put chapter 2 in for anyone who hasn't read the mange or seen the anime…really, I just had to. Keep reading, you won't regret it.

Thank you, **Dragonist**, for your review, and I'm glad to see someone who likes my work so much. I'll update faster if more people review, and I'll be starting some new stories soon, so check those out soon. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you, **Severyo**, for your review, and the chakra isn't really shinigami, this won't be a bleach cross-over, but it is evil enough to have the Kyubi shaking.

Here are the jutsu translations:

Katon: Goukakyu no jutsu-Great Fireball Technique

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu-Shadow Clone Technique

Oboro Bunshin no Jutsu-Haze Clone Technique

Also, when I say the traditional language, I mean the Japanese, which they only use when they're using the jutsu. Other than that, they use the normal language. They also use the Japanese symbols occasionally, such as on tattoos. If anyone still has some confusion over this, just tell me and I'll give a more in-depth description later.

Well, that's all. Drop a review…and a vote!

Later

Tsurugi-sama


	7. The Preliminaries

**The Paths We Walk**

The Preliminaries

The seven Genin teams stood silent in a large arena, facing a row of older ninja. No one said a word, waiting for the Hokage to speak. There were two railings above them on each side, and the ground was formed out of tile nearly four meters across. In front of them stood a pair of webbed shinobi arms, with hands in a hand-seal. Along with Naruto's team, Hotaka's team, Kabuto's team, Kiba's team, Ino's team, Lee's team, and those three sand ninjas had passed. There were some signs of nervousness, along with some joy as everyone observed who had passed.

They stood in the middle of the arena, silent as the grave, as they stared down the senior ninjas. They stood in two rows, with examiners in the front, and instructors in the back. In front stood Iruka, Ibiki, the Third Hokage, Anko, and various other ninja that they couldn't recognize. Behind them stood the instructors, and from the applicant's right to left stood a man with glasses and spiky light-brown hair around his head. Next to him was Asuma, wearing his normal shinobi garb with the usual sash and smoking a cigarette. Kakashi stood next to him, as lazy as ever, with Gai to his side. Kurenai stood beside him, and to her right stood a man with a traditional shinobi vest and short icy blue hair combed back, spiky at the back of his head. Finally, a man with a small amount of face paint and Sand shinobi clothing stood, with medical tape wrapped around his head, and a piece of cloth covering his left eye.

A stew of thoughts ran through everyone's minds.

'I'm famished!'

'Man, there're still so many left. How troublesome.'

'Naruto made it…'

'Wow! Over twenty applicants made it! I said I'd thin them out by half, but I was really expecting something like a single digit!'

'Sasuke-kun made it! And…so did Naruto…'

'So that Kakashi guy is Gai-sensei's rival…he beats Gai-sensei in looks hands down.'

'Akamaru's acting odd.'

'Amazing how only seven of all those teams that started passed. Was it really that hard?'

'None of the other sensei's are as good as Gai-sensei! He's the best! I'LL MAKE YOU PROUD!'

'He's not here…they must've failed.'

'Naruto…'

'So, once again you came through without a scratch, Gaara.'

'Can we move on with this?'

'Those sand guys…'

"Hmph." 'I've got a bad feeling about this.'

'What happened to Naruto? Everyone's sending him some odd stares. And what's with the zanbatou?'

'Wow…Konoha's better than I thought.'

'N-Naruto-kun made it…'

'Look at all the Konoha applicants. Incredible.'

'Uchiha Sasuke made it…and so did he…'

'It's astounding that so many of those applicants survived and passed, but it's even more amazing that the majority of the applicants are young and fresh out of the academy.-'

'…'

'All right! Ojii-san, Kakashi-sensei, and even mega-brows is here! It's a shinobi dream team!'

'-I see why their instructors entreated for the right for their students to enter this competition. There's more to them than meets the eye.'

Anko broke the silence by speaking into a headset, filling the large arena with a deafening voice.

"Okay! Listen up maggots! Hokage-sama himself will now explain the third exam! Pay attention and take to heart every word he says!" Everyone in the room stiffened to attention. "Good. They're all yours, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage took a long draw of his pipe and blew out a stream of smoke, opening his eyes. He had no headset "Very well."

The Hokage stepped forward, on the platform just in front of the giant hands. He stared at the crowd, demanding absolute silence. "The final exam is about to begin…but before we begin with the specifics about how it will be conducted, I want to clear your vision." Everyone stared at him in confusion, with the exception of a few who'd already passed. "It befits to the hidden purpose of the exam."

Sakura, always one to question everything, found this knotty. 'The purpose? Isn't it to become Chunin?'

"I expect you're confused by now, at least the raw recruits. Why do you suppose an examination like this is intertwining all shinobi nations that Konoha holds in a mutual alliance?" More looks of confusion, mainly from a certain blonde with an oversized sword. "'To promote Friendship among allied nations and raise the level and standards in the art of Shinobi…' Be very clear about what those sacred words have kept secret!"

'Secret?' Tenten asked herself.

'This gets stranger by the minute.' Yoko thought to herself.

The Hokage took a long draw from his pipe, and continued. "This series of so-called examinations is in fact much more. This whole series of events…" He locked eyes with the whole crowd. "…is a small-scale war between all of our allied lands!"

Hotaka's brow furrowed. "…Please explain, Hokage-sama."

"As you wish. As you have studied in the academy," Naruto gulped. "One would only need to take in a small bit of history and consult a map to find the answer. Our alliances, every one, are no more than loose, temporary and mutually beneficial agreements between a group of nations geographically contiguous. Our previous existence was one of unending strife…jockeying off against one another to show our strength, both openly and secretively. Power and control of resources were at stake, thus encouraging nations to enter the war, swiftly and without a thought. Back then, resources were continuously depleting all over the world due to the battles…until a better way was thought of. One that would save the future of the Shinobi nations: The Chunin ninja selection exam!"

"What the hell! Wasn't the point of the exam selecting Chunin? What's going on here!" Hotaka, who was standing beside Naruto, was nearly deaf now.

"Rest assured. When this exam is done, it will have had the side-effect-" "SIDE-EFFECT!" "-of showing the leaders who are ready for ascending to Chunin. Though even more importantly, it serves as an arena where competitors put the honor of their nation on the line as you young shinobi may fight, to death if necessary."

"Honor of their lands?" Ino asked.

"This third exam will be conducted under the watchful eyes of numerable distinguished guests, such as lords of nations and wealthy merchants, and even nobility of the many lands we Shinobi serve. Among their numbers will be those who hold power over each country's own hidden Shinobi village. They will be watching the matches. If any one nation's applicants demonstrate outstanding skills and Shinobi promise, the noblemen from every land will quickly commission work from the nation who demonstrated superior power. Inversely, if a particular nation's applicants show weakness and appear incompetent, income will slow in that Shinobi nation. When a nation is strong in battle, and the fruits of victory are in their hands, opposing nations shall fear it's power. Fear can be a powerful ally in our way of life."

Kiba couldn't stand it anymore. "So! Why is it so necessary that we put our lives on the line!"

'He still doesn't get it…' Iruka thought.

"The strength of a country is determined by the strength of its village, and the village's strength is determined by the strength of its Shinobi, and the strength of a Shinobi only truly shows itself in the midst of an all-out life-or-death struggle. These exams provide a public arena for each country to show off and boast of the strength of its own warriors, and by substitution, it represents the strength of the Shinobi nations themselves! This test has meaning and great consequences, fulfilling or destroying, that's up to you to decide."

Michiko spoke her mind. "But you've always emphasized the concept of friendship between nations. Why!"

"Though my meaning was subtle, I spoke with truth and care. To preserve the balance of power at the risk of lives, is the closest thing, and is in essence the meaning of friendship in the world of Shinobi." He paused, looking over the concerned Konoha applicants faces. "I will say it once more before we begin. You are taking no ordinary test!"

"Here, not only do you risk your own dreams and futures, but those of your nation as well, just as our ancestors have for hundreds of years." Everyone was slowly beginning to grasp the concept that the Hokage was speaking of. Gaara, however, didn't care in the least.

"Whatever. Could we cut the philosophy and crap and just get to the life-and-death stuff any time soon?"

"So, you insist we begin the exam? Well then, I'm not so sorry to say that-" he was cut off as a ninja standing next to him jumped in front of him, kneeling.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Hokage-sama, but if you don't mind handing the rest of the third exam over to me, Gekko Hayate, proctor of the third exam."

"…Go ahead"

"Thank you, sir." The man stood up, and turned around, revealing a man with dark hair running down the sides of his face, covered by a Konoha headbandana. He wore traditional Konoha shinobi garb. Everyone could tell he was sick from his looks. His eyes had some bags and he looked pale. "_Koff Koff. _Good to meet you all. I'm Gekko Hayate. Before we start the exam, uhh…I have to ask you to do something for me." He met confused looks. "Uhh…you see…there are some preliminaries for the exam…and whether you proceed to the main exam is contingent on how well you manage in the preliminaries."

"Preliminaries!" Everyone asked out loud. "Why?" "That's not fair!" "Why can't we all just proceed?" "What's going on?"

"uhh…well…you see…It's not like the first two exams weren't difficult enough, but the truth is…there're still too many applicants to proceed directly to the third exam. _Koff._"

"Is there a reason all of us can't proceed?" Hotaka asked.

"There is. Under the traditional rules of the third exam, we have to have preliminary exams to reduce the number of applicants who'll proceed if the final exam."

"That's not the answer to what was asked. What is?" Sasuke demanded impatiently.

"Hokage-sama said it himself. There will be a large number of honorable guests observing you applicants in the final exam. We can't have too many applicants slowing it down. Only the best of you will get past this stage, providing a fast, tight, and intense finale."

"I see…" Hotaka said to himself, analyzing the situation.

"Uhh…so anyway, not that you all have somewhat of an idea as to what's going on…anyone who doesn't wish to participate in the preliminaries, please take one step forward, because the preliminaries for the third exam begins now!"

"WHAT!" "NOW!" "WHY NOW!" "…"

Naruto gulped. He wasn't wounded, but he wouldn't have a chance to get this infection out of him. If he went berserk again… 'I'll have to risk it! I made a pact with everyone, especially Kabuto and Hotaka! I'm not gonna back out now!'

"Well, see ya later, everyone!" Kabuto gave a small salute, and started walking.

"What! Kabuto…why?" Naruto yelled with eyes the size of plates.

"Let me see…you're Yakushi Kabuto of Konoha?" He checked his list and made a stroke with his pencil. "Okay. You can go. Feel free to watch the competition." He paused, before remembering something. "uhh…in case I forgot to add, _Koff Koff, _from here on out, you fight individually, not as team. From now on, you can make your own decisions without affecting your comrades. So…_Koff_does anyone else want to back out?"

Naruto couldn't believe it. Why would he quit now? "Kabuto, what're you doing!"

"Naruto, I'm sorry, but you saw how bad I did in our last fight. Even worse, ever since that little match with the sound ninja before the first exam, I've been completely deaf in my left ear. Now's not the time for me to be fighting to the death, especially against such strong opponents like yourself." Though the sand trio didn't understand why Kabuto considered that loud-mouthed idiot competition, the other fourteen Konoha genin showed small signs of fear. Naruto looked down and smiled slightly at the compliment.

Anko referred to her notepad for Kabuto's biography. "Wow. Talk about déjà vu. According to the data, he's already failed six times, and I believe each time reaching this same point before dropping out and observing the matches. I wonder what he could be thinking…"

The Hokage looked interested about this coincidence. "…Just what is his record?"

"Well, nothing major worth mentioning. He was an average student with average grades. He actually had to test three times to graduate. Since then, he's had two C-rank missions and 14 D-rank missions. There's no major achievements on record, and nothing else worth mentioning…except…"

"…Please continue."

"…Something happened before he even entered the academy." This caught the Hokage's attention. "Remember the tale about a young boy brought back from the battle at Kikyo pass years ago?"

"Yes…I remember. The story about a Jonin ninja of the medical squad took in an enemy child who survived the battle."

"And that boy is that child, correct?"

"If I'm not mistaken."

In the silence, Kabuto was left to his thoughts. 'Looks like I'll get to hang out with you a little longer, Naruto. I know my mission concerns Sasuke…but…well, you'll know soon enough. They've got plans for you. I'd love to fight, but if I did…I might just lose control. I can't let them see my power. Not yet.' Kabuto gave a smile and wave, and walked to the back of the room. 'I look forward to the time when I reveal everything to you…Naruto-kun. Until then…"

Sasuke watched Kabuto leave, before feeling the mark on his neck pulse, sending a wave of pain through his body. 'Damn! Another one. They're frequency is increasing. Ugh!'

Sakura noticed Sasuke grabbing his neck and almost instantly deduced the cause. 'It's still hurting him? Why…?'

Hayate decided the silence had lasted too long and spoke up. "_Koff_ So, uhh…is anyone else dropping out? Or can we continue with the exam?"

Sakura couldn't take it anymore. "S-Sasuke-kun…maybe you should quit too!"

Naruto didn't understand it. He knew about the curse seal Sasuke had. He had witnessed the events…somehow… 'Damnit! Even now, Sasuke gets all the attention! I can't take this anymore. I need to get off this team!'

"Ever since we encountered Orochimaru, you haven't been acting normally. It's got to do with that mark, I know it! It'll just keep getting worse if you don't get help! Please…" Sakura was crying now, trying to wipe them away.

"You're in no shape to fight, Sasuke-kun!"

"…Shut up!"

"Sasuke-kun, it's no use denying it! You've barely been able to contain the pain up till now!"

"I told you to-!"

"You're not giving me a choice! If you won't listen to reason…Then I'll tell all the proctors about the mark! Then you-!" Sakura tried to raise her arm to tell the proctors, but Sasuke grabbed her wrist before it rose a foot.

Sasuke gave her a serious stare, keeping her silent. "Shut up! Not a word to anyone about the mark!" Sakura stared at him, fresh tears forming in her emerald eyes.

"Why, Sasuke-kun…why do you always have to be so strong! I can't stand it, just standing here and watching you suffer!"

Sasuke let go of her wrist, while keeping his right arm on the mark. "It's my own decision. Don't concern yourself with my affairs! I must bear this burden alone." He paused, staring into her eyes.

"Do you remember what I told you in the bell test?" He met a confused expression. "I am an avenger! This is no mere test for me. I don't even care if I achieve Chunin or not. I am only here to answer the question 'Am I strong?' I'm here to answer that question by testing myself against the strongest opponents available." Naruto and Sakura were staring, her tears drying. "Gaara…Lee…Neji…the best young ninja are around here for me to test myself against. I won't turn away from the path that leads to my goal…not for your sake, or anyone else's."

Naruto couldn't take it anymore. He was angry with both of them…but this was over the edge. "Will you shut up, Sasuke! Stop acting so cool! I know about the mark on your neck! Won't you even listen to the people worried about you! You're in no condition to fight!"

"If I'm in no condition for combat, then what about you?" That shut Naruto up. "Besides, you're one of the ones I want to fight."

Naruto's heart pounded for a split second in his chest, his face in temporary shock. 'Did he just…he wants to fight…me?' Naruto smiled to himself. Finally, he was receiving acknowledgement from his teammate. 'Maybe things can be different…'

Meanwhile, the older ninja were discussing Orochimaru. "It's as we feared. The curse mark is gaining control." The Hokage observed

Anko, whom also bore a similar mark, spoke to the Hokage. "Sir, we need to pull him out of the exam! Quarantine him and place him under an ANBU squad. We don't know what Orochimaru wants with him-"

"And do you really think he'll just allow you to pull him out of the exam?" A voice came from behind. They turned around to see Kakashi with what they assumed was a confident look on his face. "Remember, he's one of the last remaining members of the Uchiha clan."

Anko grew angry at his words. "Don't talk nonsense, Kakashi! You don't know what it's like! I'll stop him by force if I have to! If he makes any attempt to mold chakra, the mark will activate and spread throughout his body, infecting him and draining him of his strength. It's a forbidden art which will debilitate his body! It's a miracle he's lasted this long, bearing the pain up until now. Any normal person would be dead by now, Hokage-sama!"

"Sasuke isn't a normal person, Anko." Kakashi rebutted.

The Hokage was silent for a moment before speaking his mind. "I am also concerned about what Orochimaru said. For now, we shall allow him to proceed, though we will watch for any sign of activity in the curse mark."

"B-but Hokage-sama-!"

"You may relax, Anko. If there is any sign of the curse mark spreading, we shall take the necessary steps to restrain him. Ibiki."

Ibiki turned his head and met the Hokage's gaze. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"I want you to head to the ANBU headquarters and get three squads of ANBU's top strategists gathered and plan for a sweep of the entire fire country for Orochimaru."

"Hokage-sama, isn't that taking it to an extreme?"

"Orochimaru is Konoha's most wanted criminal. He's here for more than just Sasuke, I can assure you of that. We can't take any chances. Plan a search, and return to me before the exam ends. I need to know how long the search will last."

"I understand, sir. I'll have them get right on it." With that, Ibiki vanished using shunshin no jutsu.

Hayate decided that it was time to begin the exam. "_Koff koff _Well then….we shall now begin the preliminaries. These will consist of individual combat matches, as though this were real combat, though in tournament style." He paused, observing the myriad of emotions expressed on the applicant's faces. "There are a total of twenty combatants, and thus we shall hold ten matches, each one-on-one. Uhh…and the victors of each match will advance to the final exam."

"Remember,_koff_, this is all-out combat. Each pair of combatants will fight until one is either dead or unconscious, or forfeits the match. If an opponent is overpowering you, I advise you to immediately concede if you value your life. However, since we don't want a total blood-bath, there will be times in the matches when I conclude that there is a clear winner and interfere in the match to end it. But…don't always assume I'll come to the rescue."

"Open it." Anko spoke into her headset. Next to the giant hands, a curtain ascended, revealing a blank screen.

"From here on out, your fate is held on that electronic scoreboard. To decide the match-ups, the scoreboard will randomly display the names of two combatants, _koff_. So, uhh…not to send you to the butcher early or anything, but we'll be announcing the first two names now."

The crowd in the tower was silent as they awaited the screen's judgement. Hearts raced, and for minutes it seemed as though it would never end, until the screen lit up:

Uchiha Sasuke

Vs.

Akado Yoroi

'Well well, first blood, huh?' Sasuke thought.

'Couldn't ask for more.' Yoroi thought.

'Sasuke-kun? Already? There's no way he can win in this state!'

'Sasuke…'

Everyone was staring at Sasuke; from his reputation, they were in for a good fight.

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"_I knew that what Sasuke had said was his way of acknowledging me, saying he wanted a fight. I wasn't really mad at Sasuke. I had been mad when he nearly gave in to Orochimaru, but in the end, he fought back after I beat some sense back to him. When my anger subsided, I remembered how he nearly sacrificed himself for me. I couldn't forget that. I had no reason to be mad at him. Jealous, maybe…but I had no reason to hate him. But Sakura…she'd done nothing making herself worthy of my forgiveness, and everything to make us as distant as she could. She wouldn't be forgiven so easily._

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Would the combatants whose names have been selected by the board please come forward now." Sasuke and Yoroi stepped forward, and turned to face each other, less than a meter away. "Akado Yoroi and Uchiha Sasuke…_koff_ you two have been selected to compete in the first round of the preliminaries. Are there any objections?" He asked.

"I'm good." "None whatsoever."

For a few seconds, the two of them engaged in a staring contest, seeing which would break first, leaving everyone else to their thoughts.

'The only thing I can do now…is just watch the match and pray for the best. Sasuke-kun…'

'You better not lose now if you wanna fight me later! I expect to see you in the finals, Sasuke!'

'Something's wrong with him…'

'The curse mark…may be a bit of a problem…'

'Good luck, Uchiha!'

'I expect to be entertained, Sasuke.'

'…'

'Good match-up. This'll be fun.'

Sasuke flinched, feeling the sting of the mark. 'Ow! The pains not slowing down…if this keeps up…'

Yoroi was smirking under his mask. 'Oh, look. The little boy's in pain. This'll be over fast.'

Hayate had decided the staring contest had lasted long enough and raised his hand. "_Koff_Uhh…It's time for the first match of the preliminaries to commence. Everyone other than the two combatants should move to the upper gallery now."

Everyone slowly made their way up the stairs, where they finally got the chance to talk with their friends and teachers. Before going up, Kakashi had a little talk with Sasuke.

"Sasuke. There's something you need to know."

"…"

"Don't use the Sharingan."

Sasuke's eyes widened, but he quickly regained his cool. "Howd'ya know?"

"If the curse mark on your neck begins to run rampant, the consequences will be deadly, changing your life forever." This received a nod from Sasuke. "If they see any sign of that, the match will be suspended and you'll be disqualified. Don't lose control." With that, Kakashi walked up to join Naruto and Sakura, leaving a shocked Sasuke.

Suspended? Not an option. He'd have to remain in complete control. Sasuke gripped his neck, where the mark was. 'The mark appears to respond to my chakra. If I use chakra carelessly, then the mark will consume me, calling upon and expending all the power I have left.' He released his neck, remembering the scene in the forest. 'So, for this match, not only is the sharingan out, but so is almost every fire technique I know, and I'll have to use chakra sparingly even for normal arts! Now, what to do, what to do…?'

Kabuto was watching the scene, observing what was about to come. 'Heh. Of all the opponents you had to get, Yoroi is the worst one for you.' All Konoha applicants were on the right side of the arena, with only the sand ninja on the left. Everyone was preparing for the upcoming fight, watching with the utmost attention.

Kakashi had returned to his other students, but though he wanted to question Naruto about his sword and clothing, he decided it best to wait until Sasuke's match was done. 'Sasuke…don't overexert yourself…' Naruto was nearly falling off the railing he was so far off, trying to get the best view possible.

"All right. Round one: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akado Yoroi, begin!"

The words barely left Hayate's lips when Yoroi formed a hand-seal. "Shall I start?"

"Heh. Confident, aern't you?"

Yoroi went through a few more seals before his right hand began glowing blue. He hunched over, forming a smaller target, while slipping his hand into his shuriken pouch. Sasuke saw this and pulled out a kunai just as Yoroi threw a trio of shuriken at him. Sasuke loaded his arm for a strike, and swung, parrying the shuriken and sending them back at Yoroi, who slipped to the left. Sasuke groaned, the curse on his neck throbbing. He couldn't stay standing, and fell on his right side. Yoroi took advantage of Sasuke's position and jumped into the air, and punched downward at Sasuke. Sasuke saw this, and rolled to the side, as Yoroi buried his fist into the tile, loading his left arm for another strike, but he never got the chance. Sasuke plunged his Kunai into the ground, stabilizing himself, and kicked Yoroi's feet out from under him. He grabbed Yoroi's arm, planning his fall, and planted his left leg over his neck and his right around his arm. His arms had a firm grip on his right arm, securing him in an arm-bar. "It's over!"

Suddenly, Yoroi gripped Sasuke's shirt with his right arm, hand still glowing. Sasuke felt the effects immediately. 'What the? My strength's disappearing. What's happening?' Sasuke lost the strength to maintain his grip, and Yoroi's arm slipped out of the arm-bar. He formed a fist, and slammed it into Sasuke, knocking Sasuke flat and releasing himself. He flipped around, and as Sasuke tried to get up, he snatched his head, blocking his eyes. 'Where's all my strength? It's disappearing!' Yoroi slammed his head into the ground, stapling his legs to the ground with his left arm. Yoroi chuckled evilly as Sasuke tried to remove his arm from his face, but could only drop lifelessly to the ground.

'Sasuke…' Naruto thought.

"You…You're…absorbing my chakra…" Sasuke managed to choke out

"Heh. So, you finally figured it out, eh? Slower than I thought."

Kabuto looked slightly concerned, but that only covered up his true feelings. 'Heh. Of all the people you had to fight, it had to be him. Chakra Kyuin Jutsu; Yoroi's cruel ability to absorb another's chakra is quite a gift. It's brilliant. All Yoroi must do is press the palm of his hand against an opponent's body, and he may begin devouring their mental and physical energies. And once your chakra has been devoured, Sasuke, your only option will be to summon the power of the curse mark! I can't wait to see you engorge yourself in all that power! If you resist…well, you'll soon be six feet under.'

Sasuke was running low on Chakra. If he didn't do something now, he'd lose for sure and lose the strength to resist the curse seal! "Oh…you…" Sasuke summoned all the strength that he could. "Son of a bitch!" Sasuke used his leg to shove off Yoroi's arm and kicked him across the room. He managed to stand up shakily, gasping for breath.

"Heh heh. It's almost impossible to believe that a rat like you had any strength left to oppose me." Yoroi performed the jutsu again, preparing for another strike.

'That was too close. If he makes contact again, I won't be able to pull off another stunt like that, and I'll lose the match for sure, either by losing or suspension.' Sasuke thought, still breathing heavily. 'His goal is to keep me within his reach…I've got one last ace up my sleeve…but how can I?'

Gaara was looking at Sasuke with disgust. "Uchiha Sasuke…is this your limit? Pathetic."

'Sasuke-kun…'

Naruto couldn't take it anymore. "HOW CAN YOU BE LOSING LIKE THIS! ARE YOU REALLY UCHIHA SASUKE! THIS IS PATHETIC! YOU LOOK LIKE SUCH A DOBE, LOSING LIKE THIS!"

'Naruto…' There was no way he would let himself appear weak in front of his-though he wouldn't admit it to anyone-rival. 'Wait! I got it. That move from earlier!'

"Well, you sure have the worst timing for letting your mind wander! Time to finish you off!" Yoroi lunged at Sasuke, preparing to finish him off.

'So this is the end.' Hayate thought.

'Sasuke is this all you-Wait, that's my-!' Lee's thoughts were cut off as Sasuke fell back on his right hand and bashed his left foot into Yoroi's jaw, sending him flying into the air. He finished spinning to the right, landing on both hands, and pushing off with his arms. As Yoroi rose upward, Sasuke appeared right behind him.

"After this, I'll limit it to my own skills, but this battle is over!" Sasuke used his index and middle finger of his left hand to press a pressure point on Yoroi's back, making him less resistant "Eat this! Kagebuyo!" But before Sasuke could continue, his neck throbbed and his face hardened. Blood flowed from his mouth into the air. 'Oh no. Not now…' The mark on his neck began to spread, the flame-like black lines enveloping his body. His muscles clenched, and he began shuddering.

"Sasuke…you better not lose. Not now…" Naruto said to himself.

Sasuke tried to calm himself. 'He's at his limit. He can't keep control.' Kakashi thought.

'I won't stand by here…and let this damn thing…CONSUME ME!' With sheer willpower, Sasuke secluded the power of the curse seal with his remaining strength, and forced it back into its source. With the power, the flame-like marks receded back into the seal. When the marks had receded, he smirked, having regained his control. "Let's finish this!"

Anko was on the ground. She had a seal similar to his, and to be able to control it with his level of experience…was incredible. 'How! He should be dead by now! How can he force it to recede with his level of experience!'

"From here on out, it's all original!" Sasuke pushed Yoroi with his left hand, pushing to the right and causing Yoroi to spin to the left. Sasuke readied his left for a roundhouse kick to meet his spinning target, but Yoroi blocked the kick with his arm. "You never learn, do you?" But Sasuke used the rebounding force from his leg connecting with him to remove his leg and spin to his left, loading his left arm and delivering a devastating back-fist to his face, followed by a hard punch into his chest, and while keeping his rotation, Sasuke delivered the finishing heel-drop just as Yoroi hit the ground, cracking the hard tile. "SHISHI RENDAN!" Blood dripped out from under Yoroi's mask as he lost conciousness. Sasuke skidded to a halt about two meters away on his face. Hayate quickly observed the scene, and quickly checked Yoroi, but already knowing he lost conciousness. He looked over at Sasuke, and smiled slightly when Sasuke managed to slowly kneel, wiping some blood off his face and breathing heavily.

"I'm halting this match before it goes any further. Uchiha Sasuke is the clear winner, and the champion of the first match of the preliminaries, and shall advance to the third exam!"

Naruto smiled broadly. "Hey, Sasuke! You won the match, but could you be any more beat up! Anyone else would think you lost the fight!"

"Heh. Shut up, idiot." Sasuke gave a small smirk.

'Sasuke-kun…I'm so relieved.'

"Well done. You did it!" Kakashi said as he appeared behind Sasuke, supporting his back with his knee. 'Those techniques he used up to the Shishi Rendan were undoubtedly from Gai's fighting style. He must have learned it when he sparred with Lee.'

The crowd –with the exclusion of a select few- was awed by this agile technique. Lee was especially impressed, though he kept the figure of a determined statue. 'That move…he copied it in one encounter. That move requires a high level of body strength gained from years of intense training.'

Lee's sensei, Gai, was also impressed. 'The Lotus isn't something that can simply be copied, even with the Sharingan. And then there's the final move. What a show-off. Are you teaching your students to be punks or something, Kakashi?'

'Last years top rookie was Neji, and it seems like this year it'll be either Uchiha Sasuke or the blond kid. If everyone fought each other as themselves, who would win?' Tenten asked herself.

'I'm gonna make sure I do just as well!' Naruto screamed in his head.

'To come into full bloom with your Sharingan at such a young age…he's just like you, Obito.' Kakashi thought to himself. 'I see why people say "Beware the blood of Uchiha!"'

'Amazing! He actually suppressed the curse seal with his own squandering strength! Even I couldn't do that! And I was trained by…I don't even want to think about him!' Anko thought, anger burning in her eyes.

Gaara stood as still as a statue, staring at Sasuke. Kankuro looked nervous. 'Not this again.'

"Well, that was unexpected. I thought he was gonna lose." Michiko said.

"Not likely. Don't forget he contains the lesser evil I sensed in the forest."

"OOOOOOOOOH! SASUKE-KUN LOOKED SO COOL!" Ino yelled, eyes glowing.

'If they're all like this, we're doomed.' Shikamaru thought.

"I'm starving! I wanna go back to the buffet!" Choji whined.

"W-ow."

"Aw, come on, Hinata. He wasn't that great!" Kiba complained.

Kabuto wore a hidden smirk. 'He's stronger than I thought.'

The medics put Yoroi on a stretcher and began carrying him out. The head medic walked over to Sasuke. "Uchiha Sasuke, we must escort you, too, and put you under the care of the medical squad for the best possible treatme-"

"No" Sasuke's reply was set in stone.

"You're in more danger than you know. Please come with us."

"You have my answer!"

"Please be reasonable."

Kakashi put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "It's alright. I'll take care of him." He kneeded down by Sasuke and whispered so only he could hear. "You'll have to come with me. Don't worry. I'll seal that curse mark." Kakashi looked at the board and noticed the time. "The next match will start in a few minutes. Let's go."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Listen, Sasuke!" Kakashi was serious. "Don't let your emotions cloud your judgement! The thing spreading from your neck is more dangerous than you know! I let you fight, now don't get greedy."

"I'm watching Naruto's fight!"

Kakashi was slightly stunned. Sasuke's tone was serious and defiant. He wasn't kidding. "Why do you want to watch Naruto's fight?"

Sasuke stared at the ground before replying. "Something happened in the forest…something bad. I have to watch this fight."

"…What happened?"

"Watch the fight. You'll see. You can seal the curse mark after his fight is over."

Kakashi looked hesitant, but he knew why Sasuke was doing this. If he sealed Sasuke's mark now, he'd never find out what Naruto did, and he may miss his fight, meaning he wouldn't be able to find out. He had no choice. "Okay, but you better tell me what happened when this is over."

"Heh. Fine." Sasuke smirked with his victory. Kakashi picked Sasuke up and carried him up to the others. Sakura ran up and hugged Sasuke, and Sasuke just looked annoyed.

"Sasuke-kun! You did it!"

"Yeah. Thanks. Now get off!" He said assertively, freeing himself from her grip. He looked at Naruto. "Did you call me a dobe back there, dobe?"

"Hey! I'm not the one who nearly got my ass kicked!"

"Whatever you say, dobe. I expect to meet you in the finals."

"You'll see! I'm gonna win this thing!"

Kakashi walked up to Naruto, but before he could ask Naruto any questions, the second pair of names was posted.

Temari vs. Akimichi Choji

"Heh. Looks like my I'm the first, huh?" Temari jumped down from the rails and placed her hand over her shoulder to the object on her back. Her teammates kept their usual expressions, with no signs of worry for their teammate.

Choji, on the other hand, wasn't looking so chipper about his fight. "Bad luck, Choji. I heard those sand guys are strong."

Choji smiled nervously. "I-I'll just drop out right now, so it won't matter! No big deal! Better to lose by forfeiting than being beaten to a pancake."

Asuma appeared beside him wearing a sly smirk. "That's too bad. You're giving up an all-you-can-eat barbeque victory celebration if you forfeit. But…"

"Oh, that's low, Asuma-sensei. Baiting him with food, barbeque even!" Shikamaru complained.

"Th-that's not fair!"

"It's all-right! If things get messy, I'll jump in and stop the match. Okay?"

"Go for it, Choji! You can't give up the barbeque! Besides, Asuma-sensei will be watching over you!"

'He's not allowed to step in and he knows that! I really hope things don't get too messy. How troublesome.'

"Let's go, Choji! Think of the victory barbeque!" Asuma yelled encouragingly.

"Oh yeah! All the meat I can eat!" Choji yelled as he jumped off the railing to face his opponent.

'Unless you get turned to meat first, you sap!' Shikamaru thought.

'I wonder if the barbeque would even have enough meat to fill him up.' Ino questioned. 'Probably not'

"What a bunch of idiots." Kankuro said.

"Heh. I'll finish you in five minutes." Temari taunted.

Both stepped forward, about two tiles away from each other. Kiba, Shino, and Hinata were watching the scene, shaking slightly. Suddenly, Shino turned away and started walking. "I'm going to the bathroom."

"What!" Kiba shouted. "Of all the people, you'd be the last person I thought who would run away!"

"I simply have to go to the bathroom. Is that alright, Kurenai-sensei?"

Kurenia nodded. "Alright. Be back soon."

"Alright." With that, Shino walked down the stairs, and headed out the back door, into the hall and to the bathroom.

'Heh. Can't blame the guy. Those sand ninjas are merciless!' Kiba thought. Hinata stood slightly behind him, twiddling her fingers.

Meanwhile, Temari was smirking. "You should back out now, you know. I really don't want to waste my time with a giant fatass.

Ouch. She hit a vital nerve, and she could tell by the burning rage in his eyes. "I'M NOT FAT! I'M JUST PLEASANTLY PLUMP! PLEASANTLY PLUMP!"

Temari was just having too much fun. "This'll be over in three minutes. "Whatever you say, fatso."

Hayate decided to get the fight started, before Choji decided to start it himself. "Alright, second round, Temari vs. Akamichi Choji, begin!"

"Come on! You can beat her, Choji!" Ino yelled.

Choji wasted no time preparing his technique. "Baika no Jutsu!" Choji's body expanded into a giant sphere, and he retracted his arms, legs, and head into his torso, forming a perfect sphere. "Nikudan Sensha!" He yelled, rolling as fast as he could towards Temari, with every intention of flattening her into paper.

Temari wasn't afraid. Quite the opposite: she laughed. "And the fatass gets fatter." She joked, jumping to avoid his attack. Choji turned to attack her again, but she jumped above him and landed behind him. Choji was too close to a wall to turn, and slammed into it, burying himself in it. He was stuck, and had to release his jutsu to get out. He walked out of the hole, and looked at Temari. "Will you ever stand still!"

Temari chuckled. "Even if I stand still, you'll still lose. Come on, try it again." Temari said from across the arena.

Choji smirked. "If you say so! Baika no Jutsu!" Once again, his body expanded, and forming the sphere, he used nikudan sensha, rushing towards Temari.

Shikamaru was not happy, and wore a concerned look. 'Idiot! She's seen your technique! She's probably developed a counter to it! Don't just use the same technique again!'

Shikamaru was right. Temari was hoping he'd use the same technique again. 'What an idiot.' She thought, reaching for the object behind her back. She pulled it out, and unfolded her giant tessen. It was a metal fan covered with metal ridges covered by white paper on the upper half. There were three purple circles evenly spaced along the fan. She pulled it back, loading it for a strike, and before Choji crossed half the arena, she swung, sending a giant gust of wind towards Choji. "Kamaitachi no Jutsu!

The wind blast had the same effect as Zaku's attack had: it sent him soaring into the air, and heading straight towards Temari. Some of the Konoha genin had hope in their eyes. Temari, however, wasn't worried. The strategist quickly prepared for another strike, releasing another great wave of wind. "Kamaitachi no Jutsu!"

This time, Choji didn't have anything to push off of, and was swept away by the wind. The wind pushed Choji straight towards the upper raptors, and crashed straight into the wall behind his teammates, and passed out, releasing his jutsu and sliding down the wall, crashing at their feet.

"Heh. There's no way a giant ball could beat me." Temari said smugly.

Hayate didn't have to check. Asuma did it for him. "He's out. It's over."

Hayate nodded and announced "The winner of the second round is Temari."

Temari smirked and jumped back up to her team. "Good job Temari." Baki said. 'Everything's going according to plan.'

Meanwhile, Shikamaru, Ino, and Asuma were checking on Choji. "He's alright. Just knocked out. The impact had too much force for him to stay conscious, but his expanded body absorbed most of the blow. He'll be fine in a few minutes." Shikamaru deduced.

Shino walked back into the room, and joined his team on the right side. "What happened, Kiba?"

"Take a guess." Kiba said sarcastically. "She sent an extra-large helping of Choji straight into the wall over there." He pointed to the wall, and saw how it was cracked from the impact.

"I see. The other sand ninjas are just as ruthless, it seems." Shino replied.

Kabuto and Misumi were standing in silence, each lost in their own thought. Just then, Yoroi walked back in, wearing a sling on his right arm, which had been injured from the impact. 'The medics must be better than I thought.' Kabuto thought to himself. They nodded in greeting, and waited for the next fight.

Neji's team seemed to be engaged in a conversation involving the sand ninjas.

Hotaka's team were talking with their sensei, the one with the icy blue hair. About what, the others couldn't tell. Sasuke was too busy with Sakura, anyways.

Finally, Choji woke up, and looked around. "Where am I? I'm hungry!" He wined.

"Relax, Choji. You're fine. You lost, but I'll take you all for barbeque anyways, for trying and improving.

"Oh yeah!" Choji yelled. "I can't wait! I'm gonna eat meat until I drop!"

"I hope you don't mean that literally." Shikamaru said.

With Kakashi, he finally had time to talk to Naruto. "Hey, Naruto."

Naruto, who was about to leave and go talk to Kabuto, replied "Yeah?"

"Mind telling me what happened?"

"Whaddya mean?" Naruto asked.

"The zanbatou? Your clothes? The stares?" Kakashi asked, fearing the Kyubi.

Naruto looked at the ground, wondering how to explain this. 'If I tell him everything, I'll get suspended from the fight, and I'll never fight Sasuke or Hotaka! Not an option!' "Heh heh. Long story short, I found the Buster Sword in the forest and made a makeshift belt to hold it with some metal wire I had. I got my clothes ripped in the forest during a fight." Up until now, Naruto had said the truth, if not a little foggy, but the next thing was a complete lie. "As for the stares…well…heheh, I sorta…They-"

Aburame Shino vs. Tsurugi Misumi

'Thank you!' Naruto yelled mentally.

'I'll finish this later.' Kakashi concluded.

Misumi hopped down onto the arena floor, while Shino decided to walk down silently.

"I hope Shino is up to this…" Hinata said.

"Relax. He'll be fine." Kiba told her with a smirk, knowing it was true. "Of all the people here, Shino, the sand guy, and Naruto are the only ones I wouldn't want to fight."

Kurenai overheard him and had to ask "I thought Naruto had the lowest scores in the Ninja academy. And how do you know anything about that sand ninjas?"

Kiba turned and looked at her. "Yeah, he did. But…in the forest…the sand guy crushed an entire team of rain village ninja with sand, and Naruto used the zanbatou to kill the three ninja from sound. One of them…he cut to bits. And then…I really don't wanna talk about it." Kiba finished, a sad look on his face. Not even the sound ninjas deserved that, even after what they did.

Kurenai was shocked. Naruto, the dead last he heard about, the class clown, had cut three ninja to bits with a giant sword some ninja could hardly lift? I can't just believe that. 'I'll have to talk to Kakashi about this later.' She concluded.

Hayate had the two combatants step forward and prepared to start the match. "Alright. It's time to begin the third round of the preliminaries. Aburame Shino vs. Tsurugi Misumi, begin!"

Though Shino couldn't see it, Misumi was smirking. "Even though you're just a rookie, don't think I'll let my guard down like Yoroi did, brat. In fact, if you don't want to suffer a humiliating defeat, you should forfeit the match now."

"I have no intention of dropping out of the match." Shino stated.

"Heh. Another overconfident brat. This won't take long."

"If you fight, you'll be injured beyond the point of return. Quit now, just walk away while you can."

"Enough talk. I've had enough of you!" Misumi charged straight towards Shino, and launched a hook punch with his right arm, which Shino easily blocked.

"It'll take more than that." Shino said calmly.

"Don't assume I'm finished." Misumi said, before his arm began wrapping around Shino's in a snake-like motion. His whole body began wrapping around Shino as if he was made of clay. He brought his body behind Shino and kept his arm tied around Shino, with his other arm going under Shino's opposite arm and wrapping around his neck. Shino tried to move, but his leg was entangled, and he realized if he tried to move, he'd fall and Misumi would be in a better position above him. "Nan no Kaizo. It allows me to gather intelligence by sneaking into almost any space. I've had my body altered so that it can infiltrate spaces no ordinary shinobi can. I can dislocate every joint and manipulate my limp body like a snake with my chakra. With that same power, I can squeeze and constrict like a python until your bones crack. The longer you wait to surrender, the tighter I'll squeeze! Shino tried struggling, but he was…convinced to stop when Misumi gave him some encouragement, which wouldn't be classified as a friendly hug. "I don't know what your ninja techniques are, but you can't even make hand seals! If I get the smallest hint that you're trying anything clever, I'll snap your neck like a twig!" He started slowly constricting, slowly cutting off his air. "Time's running out." He warned.

"For you, perhaps." Shino gasped. Misumi was ready to completely cut off his airway.

"Do you want to die! There's no way you can win, unless of course you were smart enough to prepare a backup plan, perhaps." Misumi stated smugly.

"Now that you mention it-" _SNAP!_ Misumi had done it. Shino's neck went limp and fell, bobbing up and down slowly, before coming to a stop.

"What a fool. I warned him if he seemed to do anything suspicious I'd kill him. He just wouldn't give up.

"Shino…no way!" Kiba yelled in disbelief.

"Sh-Shino-kun!" Hinata said.

"He broke his neck!" Lee exclaimed.

"No way! That was too much!" Naruto yelled.

"I should've stopped the match earlier." Hayate lectured himself over the death of a shinobi.

"Heh. It's over." Misumi said aloud.

"Yes…it is." Yoroi smirked. Just then, Shino's body burst into a league of bus, and swarmed over a shocked Misumi. "What's going on!" The bugs covered every inch of his body, and no matter how he stretched his body, he couldn't get them off.

Yoroi jumped down from the raptors, and surrounded himself in smoke, canceling the transformation and revealing none other than Shino, shocking the majority of the crowd who'd been unaware. "Looks like you did drop your guard. I don't suppose you had a trump card, did you?"

"Wh-what are these things! What's going on!" Misumi yelled.

"Kikaichu no jutsu. It allows me to command my little friends. They're called Kikaichu, or Parasitic Destruction Beetles. They attack in swarms, and devour the chakra of their prey. I used Mushi Bunshin no Jutsu while I said I went to the bathroom and transformed into your teammate, while my bugs posed as me. I was hoping for the opportune moment to reveal my little friends, and you getting so close to them was the perfect situation. I suggest…if you value your life…you surrender immediately. If not, they'll completely drain your chakra, and you'll die from chakra depletion. Your organs won't get the chakra they need." Shino noticed Misumi trying to wipe the bugs off, but wasn't concerned. "You fool. Even if you wipe some off, you won't get them all. It's over. This, my friend, is a true trump card!"

"It's…not…over-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Misumi yelled as the bugs feasted on his chakra. Misumi tried to run to Shino, but he collapsed onto his knees, then to his hands, then flat on the ground.

Hayate could tell it was over. If he didn't step in, Misumi would die. "I'm halting the match before it continues further. The winner is Aburame Shino!"

Shino, upon hearing of his victory, turned and began walking back up the stairs and returning to his team, commanding his insects to return to him.

"What the-? How can he-? Neji, can you see anything?" Lee couldn't believe what he just saw.

Neji closed his eyes for a second, before opening them, and revealing his Byakugan. He inspected Shino for only a few seconds, before realizing Shino's secret. "Whoa." Neji looked slightly shocked. "I thought he'd used a summoning technique to call the bugs, but…they're all over and inside him!"

"Wh-what! So he's a living bug nest!"

Gai shed some light on the situation. "Possibly. There's a legend in Konoha about a clan of Beetle Masters."

Neji heard of this. "Yes…now that you mention it…I've heard the birthright of anyone born into that clan…is that from the moment they arrive in the world, their bodies are offered as nests to crawling vermin."

Gai nodded. "Yes. And in exchange, the clam members enter a contract with the insects, which states that the swarm will answer to the user's call, fighting and following his will, and in exchange, the insects are compensated by the abundance of the user's chakra, which they consume as food. They only devour enough to live, and leave a large amount for the user to harness for themselves. But if the bugs want to, they could devour enough chakra to kill a full shinobi!"

Tenten stared in disbelief. "So that Shino guy is a member of that clan!"

Neji nodded. "It seems so. The clan is more than just a legend."

Kurenai sighed. 'Shino can really freak me out sometimes.'

"When did Shino get so strong?" Naruto asked himself.

"He's a real creep." Sakura said.

"Heh. That Shino guy's not bad. He fooled most of us with that illusion." Sasuke said.

Shino had just reached his team.

"Yo, Shino! That was Awesome!"

"N-nice job, Shino-kun…"

"Yeah…so don't let the team down." Shino told them, ticking Kiba off. 'What's with the attitude? One little win, and he thinks he's the boss!'

Kakashi would get some answers out of Naruto this time. "So Naruto, I've got some more questions to ask you."

Naruto turned to Kakashi, and asked "What is it now, kakashi-sensei?"

"You called your sword the Buster Sword. Did you name it that?"

That caught Naruto off guard. He'd been expecting something about the stares again, but this came. Why did he call it the Buster Sword? He didn't name it. It just…came to him. "I…I don't know. It just sorta came to me, you know? It's really weird, but that's what happened." Naruto told him the truth.

"Alright. A little strange, but I'll leave it at that for now. What about the sword itself? Can you even lift it?"

Naruto replied "Yeah! Well, sort of. I can't explain it!" Naruto rubbed his head in frustration. "I just get this strength when I need it, like when I'm in danger or something! I don't get it!"

Kakashi tried to calm Naruto down. "It's alright, Naruto. Relax. I'll come back later. Just stay here. You need some time to think."

"Yeah…that sounds nice." Naruto said, before crossing his arms and placing then on the rail and resting his head on his arms.

"Hey you guys, Naruto looks a little down. Let's go cheer him up." Michiko suggested.

"Yeah. He hasn't been the same since he woke up." Yoko added.

"We'll go talk to him. Is that alright, Ryuunosuke-sensei?" Hotaka asked. Ryuunosuke nodded, his icy blue eyes looking at Naruto, wondering what was going on. 'That boy has the nine-tailed fox inside of him…and I sense another unknown tailed demon here…somewhere…'

The three walked over to Naruto, and offered him their presence. Michiko spoke first. "Hey, Naruto. Are you oka-"

Haruto Sakura vs. Yamanaka Ino

'The board must enjoy interrupting us all the time.' Kakashi concluded.

Sakura and Ino couldn't believe that they'd just been selected to fight. Why of all people did it have to be against each other? Both slowly made their way down to the battle arena, hearts pounding, ignoring the encouragement some of their teammates gave. They were too lost in their own thoughts. They finally met on the ground level, standing three meters apart and ready for combat. Ino spoke first.

"So, Sakura…It's you and me, face-to-face. It seems only fitting that the rivals should face each other, huh?"

Sakura didn't respond with words. Instead, she loosened her headband form her hair, and swung it down. Ino understood what this meant, but that was between them, not the crowd.

'Ino looks pretty fierce, but she's far from the best Kunoichi around. Her number of techniques are limited, and so if the few she has fail, it's all over for her. Then again, Sakura doesn't look that strong, and I know nothing about her range of techniques. But I do know about their rivalry. This could get ugly.' Asuma thought.

"Of all the shinobi available, the screen just had to choose Sakura. This is such a mess!" Shikamaru exclaimed.

"Do you think Ino will be alright?" Choji asked, concerned for his teammate

"Maybe, but I think she and Sakura are on the same level. Neither really excel as shinobi."

'What's your plan, Ino?' Asuma asked himself.

They'd been through so much. She'd brought Sakura from her loneliness, and become her friend. Now, this. They would work on assignments together, pick flowers, and Ino would stick up for Sakura whenever she was picked on by the others. They'd been good friends, until their stupid rivalry got in the way. The sad crybaby was long gone, and she knew it. Before Ino stood a determined young Kunoichi, ready to fight.

"Understand this, Ino…I'll never let you anywhere near Sasuke-kun!"

"What did you say!"

"You're not even his type. I'm not the weak little crybaby I used to be. We're not even in the same class anymore."

Ino was obviously ticked off. "Sakura, have you forgotten who you're talking to? Don't you dare use that additude with me, billboard-brow!"

"Sakura's really crossing the line…" Naruto said. "That Ino girl is really scary!"

But Kakashi could see through Sakura's words to her true intentions. "Sakura's not trying to show off, and she's not the type to bully someone for the fun of it. She's making sure Ino's angry at her, so she won't hold back…for old time's sake." He said, before realizing something. 'Wait, naruto didn't call Sakura Sakura-chan. That's odd…'

Ino remembered the promise they made. They wouldn't wear their headbands on their heads until they met as true shinobi. Ino removed her headband from her waist and mirrored Sakura as she tied it around her forehead. They finished, the zip of the knot being finished behind their heads echoing around the arena. Their eyes met, with stone-cold faces. Hayate knew they were both ready. "Very well. The fourth round of the preliminaries, Haruto Sakura vs. Yamanaka Ino, begin!"

Not a moment passed before Sakura took charge, literally. She ran at Ino, her hands flowing through hand seals. Ino knew those seals well, as did everyone else in the hall. 'Bunshin no jutsu? That's just old.' "Drop the classic by-the-book moves! The academy's ancient history, you know!" In shouted. 'Spotting the real one is a walk in the park…now which one's making the noise?'

What she wasn't expecting was for the clone technique Sakura performed to be a distraction while she performed her real trick. 'Just focus the chakra in my feet, and…then I'll fly!' She and her clones all jumped into the air, and with chakra-enhanced speed, they readied their strikes. Ino didn't have time to tell which one was real as the three lined up their attacks, but as she tried to block, two of the three burst into smoke, obscuring her vision, while Sakura landed a perfect punch in her jaw, sending her soaring back.

"I was a crybaby back all those years ago, but it looks like the roles have been reversed! Come on, Ino you pig! Stop holding back! I know this isn't the best you can do!" Sakura taunted.

Ino sat up, rubbing her wounded jaw. "Alright. If that's the way you want to play, I'll go all out. The gloves are off!" Ino sat up, a little shakingly, but she stood. Sakura smirked at her. It wasn't over yet.

"Sakura is a solid contender. She has complete mastery of the fundamental techniques for maximizing her chakra efficiency. It's definitely the best among all the rookies. I've never seen Sakura fight this hard." Kakashi commented.

"So she's better than us?" Sasuke asked.

"Well…in one category. Overall, you both surpass her in overall skill. She does, however, possess nearly perfect chakra control, meaning nothing goes to waste. If she were to hone those skills, she could surpass you if she worked at it. Think about it: the technical art of circulating chakra to every corner of the human body and deploying it with perfect timing is an area where Sakura surpasses even myself! Sakura has near perfect chakra control. It's amazing."

"Hmph." Naruto didn't like the subject of Sakura right now.

'Naruto's been acting strangely around Sakura lately. He hasn't even talked to her yet, I don't think.' Kakashi thought to himself.

Sasuke was thinking along those lines, too. 'The dobe hasn't called her Sakura-chan since the forest of death. Did something happen that I missed? He was acting differently against that Orochimaru guy when he was still in control…' He pondered.

'Oh, Sakura-san! Just watching you move is such a delight!' Lee thought, pumping his fist.

Sakura and Ino ran at each other, fists raised to collide. They blocked their punches, their faces les than a foot away, and pulled back. Each pulled out a shuriken and threw, but they collided in mid-air. The fight kept dragging on and on, for ten minutes the two fought, never backing down. After ten minutes, both combatants had nearly reached their limit. Sakura pulled out three shuriken and threw them at Ino. Ino pulled out a kunai and blocked them, then finished by throwing the kunai at Sakura. Sakura caught the kunai in mid-air and threw it back, but Ino deflected it with a shuriken. They ran at each other, each throwing a punch. Neither punch was blocked, and sent both kunoichi back with blood running down their mouths.

"Is this ever gonna end?" Naruto asked aloud.

"Not the way they're fighting." Shikamaru said, since their teams were close to each other. "The way they're fighting, this will last all day. They're kunoichi. They're naturally weaker than men in combat."

Michiko, who was nearby, was clearly ticked off. Yoko could also be seen making a face. "It's not because they're girls, you know! There's another reason behind this, personal reasons. They're both holding back. Sex doesn't matter in battle."

"What I said was true. Women usually have about 20 percent less muscle than men do."

"Things like that can be overcome. Training is what matters." Yoko rebutted him.

"Can you three please save it? They're still fighting." Hotaka interrupted them, and they quit arguing and watched the fight.

Ino couldn't believe it. "There's no way you can be my equal! It's unthinkable!"

Sakura smirked. "You're right. What with your obsession with your long, blonde hair and your flawless appearance is matchless. How can I compete?" Sakura said sarcastically.

"How dare you make fun of me! You've gone too far!"

Shikamaru looked worried. "I can't believe Ino's actually letting Sakura's words get to her. She's actually falling into Sakura's trap."

Choji shook his head. "I don't like seeing Ino like this! She's scary."

Ino took out a kunai, and to the shock of everyone cut off her long ponytail. Anyone who knew Ino knew that this was taking things to an extreme. Some gasps were even heard.

'She's lost it!' Shikamaru thought.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! THIS IS NOTHING!" Ino yelled, letting her hair rain upon the floor. "This ends now. I have no other choice. I'm gonna make you say 'I give up'!" Ino formed some hand seals, before forming a unique seal that looked like she was targeting something.

"Yup. She's lost it." Shikamaru said.

"That idiot." Asuma said.

Sakura smirked. "I understand your impatience with me, but you're wasting your time. I'm not stupid enough to fall for that old trick."

"Hmph! We'll see about that!" Ino yelled.

"I meant it. I know what you're planning, and I know how it works. Shintenshin no Jutsu, where all of your psychic and spiritual energy is loosened upon your enemy. Following this, you uproot the mind's control over the body and replace it with yours temporarily, reducing your opponent to nothing while they helplessly watch as you possess their physical form. Buth such a technique has a few weaknesses. Your mental energy can only move along a straight line, and slowly. Also, if you do miss your target, your spirit will wander around the arena for several minutes, unable to return to your body. And during that whole time, you're as vulnerable as a log under an axe."

'She's right.' Asuma thought. 'That technique is perfect for espionage and infiltration, but in a head-up fight, it's like asking your opponent to kill you.'

"What of it, billboard-brow!" Ino yelled. " No one knows what will happen! Don't underestimate me!"

'Sakura is completely safe as long as she stays a moving target. And if Ino fails, it's all over for her. Sakura can punish her defenseless body until Ino's spirit can return, almost ensuring her victory.' Kakashi thought. 'If it comes to that, Hayate will end the match.'

"You've only got one shot, then it's over. You know it, and so do I."

'In combat, Ino is only supposed to use this technique in conjunction with my shadow technique.' Shikamaru thought. 'She's never supposed to use it until I halt their movements. She knows it won't work! Why is she doing this!' Shikamaru asked himself.

'She doesn't stand a chance.' Asuma thought.

Ino prepared her chakra, and performed her technique. "SHINTENSHIN NO JUTSU!" she yelled, before slumping to the floor. Sakura ran to the side, away from where her soul would fly. She stopped after a moment, no longer needing to run. "It's over…Ino!" Sakura said, confirming to everyone it was her.

"It's all over. How troublesome." Shikamaru said.

"I can't believe she actually tried it." Choji commented. Asuma said nothing.

"Guess that's it for y-WHAT THE!" Sakura yelled as she tried to step forward, but was stopped by lengths of glowing hair at her feet.

"Gotcha Sakura!" Ino lifted her head in triumph, her hands placed at the end of the hair rope. "I set a lovely little trap for you, and you fell for it."

"Y-you don't mean…!"

"Yep. The hand signs I made earlier were just a distraction to keep you from seeing the real trap, you ran right into it, literally! I made a living rope by running chakra through my cut hair." She stood up, making more hand signs. "Now that you're where I want you, I can take my sweet time with my next technique." She aimed her hands in front of her again. "I think the odds for a hit this time are pretty high, don't you?"

"Looks like it." Kakashi said.

"Well, quite a turn of events." Sasuke commented.

"To think Ino, making herself look like an idiot so she could win. Never saw that coming." Shikamaru said.

Sakura tried to struggle against the hair, but it held her firm. "And now…" Ino announced. "SHINTENSHIN NO JUTSU!" She yelled, slumping to the floor.

Sakura raised her head, smirking again. "Such a shame…Sakura."

"Well well, it worked." Kakashi said.

"You mean-?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Right now, Ino's psyche has overtaken Sakura's body. You could say that Ino is Sakura, for the moment. Which means, she's probably going to…"

Sakura, or Ino if you will, smirked and slowly began raising her hand. 'See ya, Sakura.' Hayate observed, highly amused at the change of events and awaiting the inevitable. "I, Haruto Sakura, wish to withdraw from the match-" She couldn't continue. Something inside of her was fighting back. 'I feel…so cold'

'There's no way…I could let a witch like you beat me!' A voice in her head yelled.

'S-Sakura! But that's crazy!'

"What's wrong? Are you forfeiting the match?" Hayate asked calmly.

'GET OUT OF MY MIND, INO YOU PIG! NO WAY AM I QUITTING! IF YOU DON'T GET OUT OF MY BODY, I"LL MAKE YOU REGRET IT!' The inner Sakura roared at Ino.

Ino was being pushed back by the Inner Sakura, to the point where her soul could actually be damaged. 'N-no! There's no way I can hang on! I have to release it!' She managed to cross her fingers and release her soul, and Sakura fell to her knees as Ino's spiritual energy returned to her body. Both girls opened their eyes, huffing and puffing from exhaustion.

'Impressive. She was able to break Ino's hold over her body. Ino must have expended too much chakra before she tried the technique. She didn't have the stamina to continue with the technique.' Asuma thought

"There were two different psyches in you before mine intruded. What are you!" Ino said between breaths.

"Don't you know, Ino?" Sakura said, also breathing hard. "Every girl, no matter how sweet, has to have a rock-hard center, or she's never gonna make it in the real world!"

'It's almost impossible to stop that technique. Ino must have been low on Chakra.' Kakashi thought. 'Then again, what really beat Ino was the fighting spirit Ino roused in Sakura. Their memories must have had a part in this. Sakura has a strong heart down inside her. Neither of them has much chakra left in them…This is the end!' Kakashi turned to Naruto. 'He hasn't cheered for her once. Usually he'd be all over her. Something happened, and I need to find out before our team falls apart.'

Ino and Sakura ran at each other, preparing for their final punch. The crowd watched as both fists met their faces, knocking their headbands to the ground, followed by their bodies. Hayate knew it was over. Neither of them was getting back up.

"Neither candidate is able to continue. As a result of a double-knockout, neither combatant shall advance to the third exam!" Silence fell.

Kakashi and Asuma jumped down and grabbed their unconscious students, and carried them to the walkway, laying them against the wall to rest. Shikamaru, Choji, Sasuke, Lee, and Naruto all went to check on their health.

"Are they alright, Asuma-sensei?" Choji asked.

"Yeah. They're both fine. No need to worry. The damage was minimal. They don't even need medical treatment. Just a little rest. They'll wake up in a few minutes."

Kakashi nodded. "I'm impressed with both of them. Both Ino, and even our unreliable Sakura have shown amazing growth. Everyone here's been through a lot, but I'm glad we enrolled you all in the exam." Kakashi finshed, and being rewarded with a few smiles.

Hotaka and his team walked over to Naruto, having been interrupted by the fight. "Hey, Naruto, you okay? You've been acting strangely since the second exam."

"They're not the only ones." Sasuke said, stepping forward, getting a slightly shocked look from Naruto.

"We mean…other than the whole…you know…thing." Michiko added, pulling a small chuckle from Naruto at her stuttering.

Naruto turned to face her. "You're starting to sound like Hinata."

"Naruto, please don't change the subject." Michiko said in a concerned tone.

Naruto nodded. "I'm sorry. It's just…a lot of things have been happening, you know? More than just that. It's like with my sword. When I found it, the name just came to me, like…I knew it already. I don't get it. Things are just getting too weird lately…!"

"Whatever it is, we'll be willing to help." Yoko said.

"Yeah. What else are friends for?" Hotaka added.

"…Thanks…all of you. I just need to think for a while." Naruto said, before turning back and looking down over the rail, a warm smile gracing his lips. He hoped the other four didn't see this, but wishes aern't always granted. Sometimes, that's for the better.

Meanwhile, Ino and Sakura finally woke up. Ino woke up first, followed by Sakura. "So, you finally chose to come to, eh, Sakura?"

Sakura sat in silence for a moment, not wanting to believe it. "I…lost…?"

"Hmph. I should be complaining. It was a double-knockout. Neither of us advanced. Such a disgrace! A tie, of all things! You actually held me back!"

"Huh?"

Ino smiled, and held out her hand, holding Sakura's headband. "Here! Looks like you blossomed into a beautiful flower after all, Sakura."

"…! …Ino…thanks." She said as she tied her headband in her hair like normal.

"But just to be fair, I'll give you a warning. Next time we meet in combat, you won't get off so easy with a draw. And another thing…No matter what you say, I'm not giving up Sasuke!"

That hit a nerve. Sakura was twitching visibly, regaining her fire. "Oh yeah! Well, same here, Ino! I'm not gonna lose either!" Ino and Sakura turned away from each other, to notice something odd. Both were looking in a different direction, and in both directions, the Konoha genin had looks of partial relief and fear in their features. Slowly, they stood up, and looked around, wondering what the cause was. Could the sand genin have done something? Well, that was part of the reason. They looked at the board, and their features matched those of their comrades.

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Kankuro

"My turn at last!" Kankuro said.

'Kankuro isn't taking this seriously at all.' Their sensei thought.

'What a fool.' Thought Gaara.

"Could I have drawn an easier opponent?" Kankuro said, before jumping down onto the arena floor.

Hayate confirmed Kankuro's presence, before noticing that the other combatant hadn't moved. 'The other Konoha genin seem afraid of something. Could it be the sand ninja, or the boy…?' "Please face your opponent."

Naruto, with teeth gritted, slowly descended the stairs, the eyes of the other genin the whole time. Naruto made his way to face his opponent, who decided to taunt him.

"Are you afraid, boy? I understand. Don't worry. I'll be quick." He said, taking off the thing from behind his back. "You've got a special weapon, too? I didn't see that before in the other exams. Where'd you get it?" Kankuro said, half-taunting and half-serious.

"…I don't want to talk about it. Can we just get this over with?"

"As you wish. I'll make sure this is over quick." Kankuro said, smirking. There was no doubt in his mind of his victory,

Hayate looked at the two and nodded. "Now, the fifth round of the preliminaries, Uzumaki Naruto vs. Kankuro, begin!"

Naruto made the first move. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He yelled, creating four clones. 'With any luck, I'll end this fast!' Naruto thought desparately. "Now I'll show you this move I came up with!" The five clones took their position around Kankuro, and they all rushed in at the same time. Kankuro was forced to drop his tool to block the five blows. He didn't have time to reveal his surprise yet. One Naruto clone had rushed in behind the puppet and had used it to put himself in his blind spot, and when the puppet dropped, Naruto jumped over it, and slammed his fist into Kankuro's face. "U!" The other three clones slid under him, kicking him up into the air, face-first. "Zu!" "Ma!" "Ki!" The real Naruto jumped off the first shadow clone and ended up just above Kankuro, who's face was in shock. Naruto brought his heel down into his face, slamming his face straight into the ground. "Naruto Rendan!" Naruto dispelled his clones, breathing heavily. Holding that thing back took a lot out of him.

'New move? That's just like Sasuke's new move. He copied when he watched Sasuke's match. Even the name's similar.' Kakashi thought.

Naruto walked up to Kankuro to check on him, and immediately regretted it. Kankuro's limb's spread out, and wrapped themselves around Naruto. "GAH!"

The thing covered in cloth bulged, and suddenly it erupted in a spiral, revealing the real Kankuro with blue chakra strings connected to the other Kankuro. "Kugutsu no Jutsu, very effective, shrimp." Naruto tried to struggle, but could only gasp in pain.

"What? How! AAAAAAAAH!" The puppet pulled itself close to Naruto, it's fake skin dropping off, forcing it to show its true identity.

"Like my little friend? His name's Karasu. Next time, don't let your guard down, loser!" Kankuro had his puppet squeeze like a python, crushing several of Naruto's ribs and breaking both arms. There was no scream of pain; Naruto had already lost consciousness. Karasu released him, and he fell limp on the floor.

Nobody in the crowd could believe it, but the genin who saw what Naruto did knew it wasn't over.

Hayate already saw that it was over. The boy was a mess, and needed medical attention. "Uzumaki Naruto is too injured to continue fighting. The winn-"

He was cut off as everyone in the room sensed an evil chakra, some for the third, and even fourth time. Everyone turned to meet it, and their eyes widened at the sight of Naruto slowly standing, a venomous green chakra surrounding his body. Kankuro couldn't believe it. This was the kid who he beat the crap out of? Naruto looked up, his features changing. His skin turning that pale shining silver, his hair turning a shining silvery color, and that red, glowing eye.

Kakashi, along with a few other select few, recognized what was going on. 'Wait! There's no way! Could it actually be the Yondaime's…no, that's not possible!' Kakashi debated. 'This must be what Sasuke was talking about. Why did no one say anything!'

'This can't be happening…not again!' The fourteen other genin screamed mentally, both extremely afraid, and extremely happy they weren't Kankuro.

The green chakra was absorbed by his torso and arms, healing the damage that had been done. Kankuro was slowly backing away. He'd never seen anything like this. This chakra was different from any other chakra he'd ever felt. It was…worse than Gaara's. He looked at Kankuro with the same demonic smirk he'd given so many times before. "You're dead."

Like fire over oil Naruto ran, drawing his giant sword. Kankuro tried to defend with Karasu, but Naruto cut it in half, the force of the cut sending it flying back at Kankuro, and knocking him against the side wall. He lost consciousness from the blow, his head drooping over the body of his destroyed puppet. Naruto raised his sword again to attack, but Hayate cut in.

"That's enough. The winner of the fifth round of the preliminaries is Uzumaki Naruto. Now, if you please-"

"Shut up." Naruto threw his sword at Hayate, who in shock jumped over it, only to come face-to-face with Naruto. Naruto sent a punch to him, which Hayate blocked. He repeated this, but it had the same result, much to his delight. Naruto grabbed his wrists, jumped up, and planted his foot into Hayate's face, sending him to the ground. He used the force form the push to backflip a few feet away, and just as Naruto was about to continue, the other Jonin senseis latched onto him.

"Naruto, what are you doing! You won the match!" Asuma yelled, pinning his right arm.

"Be quiet! Just restrain him!" Ryuunosuke yelled, holding Naruto around the waist from behind.

"He's right." Kakashi said, with a firm grip around Naruto's neck. "Hokage-sama will handle this. This is out of our league. The most we could do is secure him, but only for a while."

"What do you mean! Is he that strong!" Kurenai asked, holding down Naruto's legs.

"Things shall be explained later!" The Hokage yelled, having jumped down from his private box and currently going through a series of hand seals. 'I never thought I would have to use this technique again…' he thought.

"Hokage-sama, do you know what has happened to this youthful child!" Gai asked while holding Naruto's other arm. Naruto was struggling fiercely, desperately trying to get free. Even with the five of them, holding him down was proving quite difficult. He was slowly overpowering them. They couldn't last much longer.

The Hokage didn't reply. Instead, he kept continuing through the hand seals, ending it by holding his hand up, and forming a black aura around his hand. 'Not since the Yondaime…why was Naruto cursed with such an evil?' The Hokage asked himself.

Without a word, the Hokage ran towards Naruto, and latched his black arm onto Naruto's skull, covering his eyes. The chakra seeped into his eyes, blacking him out as it reached his brain. "HUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Naruto yelled, before going limp. The Hokage nodded, and the five of them released their grip, while Kakashi grabbed his student and carried him in his arms.

"Hokage-sama…what does this mean?"

"…I don't know…" The Hokage saw something glowing under Naruto's right sleeve, and quickly bent down and tore his final sleeve off. There, on Naruto's arm, was a long patch of glowing red mixed with green in a tie-dye effect, slowly spreading its way upward.

"…What is this?" Ryuunosuke asked.

"I don't know, but we should get him to the medics, immediately!" Asuma yelled.

"He's right. Naruto is badly injured. And there are apparently some here who know why…" Gai said, eyeing Kakashi, Ryuunosuke and the Hokage suspiciously.

"Yes. We do know what going on. Quick, grab Hayate and we'll all head to the medics.

"No need, Hokage-sama. I'm fine." Hayate said, walking up to them with his nose bleeding.

"Your nose is broken. We'll have to have that repaired. Besides, you need to hear this as well."

"Shall I come as well?" The sand Jonin asked, appearing beside them.

"No. This matter concerns Konoha only. Don't worry, we'll take care of Kankuro as well." The Hokage finished, having Gai grab Naruto's sword, Asuma grabbed Kankuro, and while Kakashi carried Naruto, the eight of them left.

Before leaving the room, the Hokage gave a message to the shocked genin. "The preliminaries will be placed on hold temporarily. You may return to your rooms if you wish, but there shall be no more combat or hostility of any kind until the preliminaries resume." With that, the Hokage left the room to join with the others.

Gaara was very pleased with the situation. "Uzumaki Naruto, eh?" His polite figure began losing its form, showing it's malevolent side.

'Don't' tell me that that thing is waking up now!' Temari begged.

'That fool.' The sand sensei thought.

The Konoha genin were busy talking among themselves. Did Naruto really attack a Jonin, and knock him down? That was too much to believe.

"…Just what is it that we're dealing with?" Hotaka asked himself.

"Whatever it is, Naruto-kun is in danger!" Lee shouted in concern.

"We'll have to keep an eye on him in the future." Michiko concluded.

"That power was incredible. Where could he have gotten it?" Sasuke asked himself.

"Kekkei genkai?" Sakura brought up.

"Not likely. There would have to be a history to it. I've read about things like this, and this is no bloodline." Neji stated, having been dragged there by Lee.

"I'd say its an infestation of some sort. It's the only logical explanation for his behavior. It has similar properties to a virus."

"It seems we'll just have to wait for our senseis to return." Shino said.

"I-I hope Naruto-kun is okay."

Michiko smiled. "Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine, Hinata. He's to stubborn to lose to something like a virus!"

"But still, this is serious. I saw something on Naruto's arm, spreading fast. Whatever it was, it raised a few of the Jonin's eyebrows." Tenten cut in.

"Interesting…" Neji muttered.

Kabuto was smirking to himself. 'Well, so that's your little secret, eh, Naruto-kun?'

A lone figure cloaked in black walked after them in complete silence, following the unaware Hokage. The events had surprised him; it wasn't supposed to be this way. 'So, it's beginning…' he thought, quickening his undetectable pace. 'Don't worry, Naruto. You'll be fine. I promise.'

Next Time: The Third Exam, Part II; Never Give Up!

**Notes**

Don't Kill Me! I'm sorry I'm late, but I've started the new grade, and, well…you get the picture. I've got a new respect for all authors. Writing this isn't easy! Especially when it's writing unoriginal material all over again! But, my chapters are so long that I think that makes up for it, SO PLEASE PUT AWAY THE STICKS AND KNIVES! I'LL UPDATE SOONER, I PROMISE!

You're all wondering who the new man is. I'll introduce him in chapter nine, so stay alert. It's gonna take the fic in a whole new direction.

I put a few metaphors in there, like Naruto running like fire over oil. Also, note that the mysterious figure was following an _unaware_ Hokage. Take that in. This man is far above the norm.

This chapter was about 14,000 words, so that's pretty good.

**Fic Facts** (Sorry for the corny name)

This is something new I've decided to do and tell you all facts about the fic for fun. I'm just doing this on a whim. Alright. Here's the first Fact.

Tenten was originally going to be paired with Naruto, until I saw **Specula**'s "A Tail of two bijus". It made me love OC fics, and I realized the possibilities. This was about 1.5 months before I began writing this fic. Surprised? I still like NarutoXTenten, but NarutoXOC is just more fun!

I'm also going to begin reviewing some anime/manga/movies/anything I want. I'll start with Naruto, so expect a review of the Naruto series by the next update.

Okay. The votes are in, and here are the results. I'll just be having one more voting period with two votes, in case anyone changed their minds, **so you can vote again!** Here are the fics again.

Okay. It looks like New Reasons to Smile is sure to win, so the second story is up for grabs! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! THIS IS THE END OF THE VOTING PERIOD AFTER THIS FINAL ROUND!

**I Walk Alone: 10 votes**

'What's the point?' He said. Tired of standing the hatred of the villagers, Naruto leaves Konoha to find a new road, and starting over was just a new beginning of a new life: a mercenary.

This fic will have a pairing, but I'm debating what. I'll probably make this an OC pairing, but someone suggested a Tenten pairing while I was thinking up a plot, and I realized that could happen, so I'll consider it. It'll probably be an OC pairing, though. Maybe I'll put Tenten in, anyways, somewhere else. By the way, being a mercenary goes hand-in-hand with being a bounty hunter.

**Unit-P-X-001: 7 votes**

Naruto has had a life filled with lies. The Kyubi, the Yondaime, the Hokage, his life, everything has been one giant lie…to protect him.

This fic will have a very evil Naruto, or rather a Naruto seeking revenge. Angst is the understatement of the year. If you love dark fics, this is for you. This fic will be completely serious; no romance whatsoever. It'll also be the most dramatic, and Naruto joins the Akatsuki! You'll love it!

**New Reasons To Smile: 17 votes**

Banished, Naruto leaves Konoha to begin life anew, making new friends, traveling to new lands, and taking the plunge into a new life: The leader of The Wandering Jinchurikis. NaruXOC GaaraXOC

This one will have Naruto leaving Konoha and leading a new adventure with the other jinchurikis. I've seen a few stories like this, but not many are good. This'll change that. Naruto's gonna be emotionless through some of this, so be prepared for that. He'll soon be happy again, thought. It is, after all, about Naruto finding new reasons to be happy.

**Through Thick And Thin (Title will be changed): 8 votes**

NaruXOC SasuXOC Met with mutual understanding, Naruto and Sasuke develop a bond of brotherhood that exists only in true friends, and it leads them down a road they could've never imagined!

This will NO BE YAOI! I HATE YAOI! I don't mind people writing it, but leave me out of it! They'll be good friends, and I'll give it a cool plot, with all new characters and a lot of OC's. Gaara will probably join them, too. (Gaara is awesome!)

Alright! Make sure you vote!

I don't have enough time to thank everyone, but I'll make sure everyone is mentioned.

Thank you **Benney, RobotPirateNinja, Gangster-Potter, UnKnOwN-aZn-Gal, Taal, SerenityMelody, insane kyuubi, Kyuubi no yoko 9, rasengan201, DaytonDeusBlack, draconous, animeflunky, BooTheGhost, darkness created by sorrow and pain, Alcyone-blk, Boudicca Arturia, **and** Darkepyon** for voting and reviewing. I swear the next update will come sooner, as long as nothing gets in the way.

**Conceptor-**Thanks for reviewing, and if you want a fic where Naruto gets in some serious stuff with Konoha, I Walk Alone is the perfect fic, or Unit-X-P-001. In both fics, bad things will happen to Konoha.

**Specula-**Thanks for reviewing, and THANK YOU! Almost every fic where Sasuke and Naruto are the main characters is Yaoi nowadays, which really sucks! I've given a bit more of an explanation, so there you go. Also, about your sword idea, it's interesting, but I can't. It wouldn't fit in the plot. Sorry to ruin that, but thanks anyways.

**The True Uzumaki-**Thanks for your comment, especially the opening comment :) Well, Dark Naruto is pretty cool, and two of my fics will really have dark Naruto's in them. Thanks for reviewing!

**AznAltron-**Thanks for your help. I'll be starting next chapter. I didn't need any new techniques yet, but I'll need some for the next chapter. Thanks. And yes, I'll be doing the elemental thing, but in a slightly…different way, as you'll see in chapter 10. Don't worry. I'll show you who teaches him how to use the sword by Chapter 9. You'll be shocked, I promise you. Working on a relationship, it is hard, but I've got it planned out. I know when they get together. Romance isn't such a big thing right now, but it'll have a purpose in later chapters. Sasuke and Naruto will also begin to patch things up by the end of the next chapter, returning to their rivalry.

**got-ramen-**Sorry for making it so long, but it's necessary to give the amount of depth necessary. This is a deep fic, after all. Sorry. About everyone acting normal, well, they're ninjas. Unnatural things are becoming a daily thing for them. It's hard for them to understand what's going on, that's all. In the manga, look how they treated Sasuke when he got his seal. They still talked to him normally. It's the same here.

**Vegeta the 3rd-**Yeah, they're a lot nicer, mainly because they're more open than Sasuke was. I had him forgive Sasuke because of their own shared experiences, and Sasuke recognizing him. Sakura, on the other hand, doesn't deserve forgiveness for all she's done. Also, the only reason I'm holding this vote is because…I really can't decide what to write first! I'm letting everyone else decide what to vote for. I got your vote, by the way.

**Severyo-**I'm glad I could clear things up. Thanks for reviewing. I'll get on the new fics as soon as chapter nine is done. I gotta get the plotlines done. Thanks, later!

**Ofdarknesschaos-**Good to hear from you. Yes, you can vote for two fics, and I'm glad you could vote. I'll get the next chapter up soon.

**Neccor-**You were right. I looked at Guts, and it did match it! Me and the creator think alike! About the new evil…that will be explained around chapter 10, and will be revealed slowly throughout the story. I hope you can stay around for the story till the end. Well, until next time.

**PinoyJas-**Yatta! Thank you! Most stories are almost instantly into the romance, with them clawing all over each other. That's something I tried to avoid. Their romance won't really start until around chapter…20-21, around there. I'm not gonna say how it's gonna end. I know how it will end, but I'm not saying how! I got a long ways to go.

**Bc85-**Thanks for your comment. I'm not going to just give Naruto power. Eventually, Naruto will become powerful, but it will be justified. I'm not just gonna dump him in a pile of power without reason.

**Fox87-**Wow! This fic is getting pretty popular. Sorry for the late update, but it's really boring writing about things that aern't originally my plot. The last part just flowed onto the keyboard. More will come. I hope to hear from you soon. Later! (Maybe I should trademark that…lol)

**Demonheat-**Thanks. I'm glad people are getting past the prologue. I only wrote the second chapter for anyone who didn't watch the anime or read the manga yet…which is really dumb, not that I think about it. I'll get the next chapter up soon.

**Kaida Sorano-**That was actually the goal of the prologue. Fill everyone's heads with mystery, then fill in the blanks over time. If this fic is one that people could read over and over again, then I know I did a good job. Thanks!

**IncandescentOne-**Glad people seem to think it's intense. About the power, it has been completely locked away, unlike Kyubi, so it's not used to Naruto's body, so only a small percent of its power can actually come out, but you never want it to all come out. Also, Unit-X-P-001 is supposed to be mysterious. It'll be my most tragic/angsty fic ever!

**Ryu no sendo tenshi-**Yup. Over 100 chapters. It'll be a long time, but it'll be worth the wait, especially when I get to chapter nine and ten. You'll love it.

**Blak Hellz Fire-**I'm not saying what his relation with the Yondaime is, but you'll find out around when Naruto starts dating Michiko. You'll see soon. Later.

**Harteramo-**yeah. Naruto isn't doing so well. Now that everyone else know what's going on, more will be explained in the next chapter.

Alright. Here are the translations.

Shunshin no jutsu-Body Flicker technique

Chakra Kyuin Jutsu-Chakra Absorption Jutsu

Kagebuyo-Shadow of the Dancing Leaf

Shishi Rendan-Lion Combo

Baika no Jutsu-Multi-Size Technique

Nikudan Sensha-Human Bullet Tank

Tessen-war fan

Kamaitachi no Jutsu-Cutting Whirlwind Technique

Nan no Kaizo-Soft Physique Modification

Kikaichu no Jutsu-Destruction Bug Host Technique

Mushi Bunshin no Jutsu-Bug Clone Technique

Bunshin no Jutsu-Clone Technique

Shintenshin no Jutsu-Mind Body Switch Technique

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu-Shadow Clone Technique

Uzumaki Naruto Rendan-Uzumaki Naruto Combo

Kugutsu no Jutsu-Puppet Technique

Karasu-Crow

Well, that's all! If there are any questions, go ahead and ask. I'll answer all questions in the notes.

Drop a review!

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


	8. A Whole New Adventure

**The Paths We Walk**

A Whole New Adventure

"_Again I tried, and again I failed. I failed to control it. Sasuke overcame it, but why did I fail? What was so different about me, I wondered. And as I wondered, my mind was secluded via the Hokage's technique. I couldn't move, I couldn't see, I could only feel the torment of guilt as my mind floated in nothingness. Even now, I cannot stand it."_

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"So, that's that, huh?"

"Yes Kakashi, it appears so."

The Hokage and Kakashi stood in the top floor of the tower. Kankuro was in bed, Naruto was being inspected, and the other ninjas in the tower, with the exception of a few guards, were sleeping soundly. The tale of Naruto's recent…exploits had not been taken well by either party."

"Thank you for not telling the other Jonin about the Fourth. They may have lost respect in him if you told."

The Hokage shook his head. "No. They are loyal and believe in his spirit. Even if I had told them, nothing would change."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Then why didn't you tell them?"

"For Naruto's sake." The Hokage lowered his head. "Some still fear the Kyubi within him. I want them to believe that we can handle this immediately, otherwise the discrimination against him will continue to grow."

"But they know he's a good person, so why would they-"

"Kakashi, knowing that, but being unable to shake the feeling of loathing is discrimination itself."

"…"

"I told them no more than what was necessary. Nothing more. For now, we'll use what we know now to try to find a new way to subdue it. For now, it would be best to place him under someone who knows the subduing technique. Naruto will be allowed to continue, but he must be observed for a time. I shall contact Ebisu and have him watch over Naruto for a time under the guise of training. When he awakens, inform Naruto."

"Ebisu knows the jutsu?"

"Yes, along with a few others. I passed it onto other elite trainers to ensure it continued to live on, if such a need ever arose again."

Kakashi nodded. "Well, I guess that's all. I'm going to go check on Naruto and Sasuke. My squad sure is getting interesting. Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama."

"I believe it is time for me to retire as well. Good night, Kakashi."

As he opened the door, Kakashi stopped, and turned to face the Third once more. "There's one more thing I want to know. Ryuunosuke knew of the technique, and about Naruto's rage. How?"

The Hokage smirked. "Well, that's very intuitive of you, as usual. Don't forget, he was once our enemy, and one of the few to ever survive the Fourth's rampage."

An hour later, Kakashi stood on the roof of the tower. Sasuke and Naruto were both under heavy watch, and Sakura was all alone right now. What was he to do?

'Why is all of this happening at once? It makes no sense. Why is Orochimaru after Sasuke? The Sharingan? And how could Naruto have obtained this curse? Could it be related to the Kyubi sealing…!!!'

Kakashi turned around, and saw a lone figure in a black cloak. He couldn't see his face, only a few spikes of blonde hair poked through the hood. "Lovely night, eh Kakashi?" It was a man, a young man, early adulthood at best. His voice was clear, and low.

"How do you know me?" Kakashi said, slowly pulling out a kunai. But the figure raised his hand, palm open.

"I'm not here to fight. I'm just here to talk."

"About what?"

"L…Naruto."

"And how can I trust you?"

"I could have killed any of you at any time, but I didn't. Is that proof enough?"

"…Who are you?"

He slowly approached Kakashi. "Naruto is in danger. I have an offer for you."

"How do you know-"

"I watched. I know. That mark is merely a symptom of something much more deadly, fatal even. If he does not receive help shortly, he will surely die."

"How can I believe that?"

"Please, here me out. The mark will spread, and destroy his body. I was once a victim of the same virus, but there is a cure. However, you'll find it nowhere here in this land. I can help him."

"…What would you want in exchange for this?"

He walked up beside Kakashi and leaned on the railing, watching the stars above him. "I'd like to help him grow stronger. And then, if he should choose, I would like him to join our cause."

"Are you saying you want him to leave Konoha?!" Kakashi said in disbelief. "No. You can't even prove that mark is fatal. Why should I trust you?"

"If you don't believe me, I'll just have to take him."

"Then I'll protect him."

"You sure are protective of your students."

Kakashi looked down. "Once…I let someone very important to me die before my eyes. I will not let that happen again, even if I myself have to die."

Very noble of you, but you cannot stop me. I'm stronger than you; much stronger. How else could I move so stealthily even your Hokage couldn't sense me? If I must, I will break the law, but I believed we could come to an understanding."

He was right. No ordinary man could trail the Hokage undetected. "…Fine, but under one condition."

"What is it?"

"I want him back in time for the Chunin exam finals in a month fr-"

"_Three_ months from now."

"The Chunin exam finals are held one month after the second exam, or in this case, the preliminaries. One month."

The figure shook his head. "The ANBU are going to need three months to search all of Fire country for signs of Orochimaru. I spied on their defense meeting. The Chunin exams will be postponed until the search is over."

"B-but what about Orochimaru's threat?"

"Konoha will have its own security to look after, as well as the security of its guests. It can't show fear when facing threats like that. The Hokage knows that, and will stand his ground. Even if they are postponed, they are not cancelled. If Orochimaru wants to get away with anything, he's just going to have to wait."

"So…in three months. Very well, I'll trust you, but where will you take him?"

"Out of Konoha, to my base."

"But where?"

"It wouldn't be a secret it I told you." The man jumped onto the railing. "Well, I should be leaving now. Have that Ebisu guy train him for a while when he wakes up. The mark won't kill him yet, and he won't rampage unless he believes he's going to die. That's when anyone is willing to give in to live, and that's when he will, even so far as to let that sinful force go berserk. Now then, I have business I must attend to for a short time. Thank you for your cooperation."

"Wait!" Kakashi yelled. "Why are you so interested in Naruto? Why did he given this curse? Does it have something to do with the sealing?"

The man turned his head, and spoke. "Think, how did Naruto and the Fourth Hokage come to Konoha in the first place?"

Kakashi thought. "…They were just…found…"

"Exactly." The cloaked man jumped off the railing, falling onto the forest below. Kakashi ran to see where he went, but by the time he looked, the man was gone.

At that very moment, in his own hospital bed, Naruto was lying in bed, unmoving, emotionless. He couldn't see the figure staring through his window on the tree.

'Uzumaki Naruto, eh? I can't wait to make you scream.'

Light peered through the window, showing a sunny day outside. Naruto slowly turned his head to greet the light, but quickly closed his eyes. It was bright. What time was it?

"Well, so you're finally awake, are you?"

Naruto spun around to meet his sensei sitting in a chair beside his bed. Kakashi waved happily and smiled…at least, Naruto thought he smiled.

"Do you ever wash that mask?" Naruto joked.

"Well, you got your wits back."

"I bet it's all full of food crumbs or something, or are you trying to hide some beaver teeth, sensei?"

"…Naruto, stop pushing yourself." Kakashi guessed right, and Naruto hit the bed again, with that same emotionless expression. Kakashi didn't like it. His eyes were distant, and almost had a possessed glaze over them. The bandage on his arm was dark in places, which probably meant that the mark on his arm was emitting dark pus. He'd change the bandage later. "How are you feeling?" He was ill, he could tell, but he'd told the cloaked man he'd be trained. He scratched the back of his head, not knowing what else to do.

"I guess. I've got a headache, but that's it. What time is it?"

"Oh, around four in the afternoon."

"WHAT?! When did the exams end?!"

"…About…three hours ago." Kakashi said, taken aback by his sudden burst of energy and emotion.

"Aw man, who won?"

"Well…there's Sasuke, Shino, Hotaka, Neji, Gaara, Temari, Shikamaru, Tenten, and you, if you've got the strength."

Naruto made a fist. "There's no way I'm gonna get left behind!" Even when ill, Naruto was still overconfident.

"Okay, just don't hurt yourself." Now that took Kakashi by surprise. Usually Naruto would be in his face and demanding him to train him, but ask him? Never happened.

Naruto's eyes widened, realizing something. "What happened to fuzzy-brows? He lost?"

Kakashi lowered his head. "It's…best if you find that out later, Naruto."

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Well, both he and Hinata had some hard fights. They're recovering in the Konoha hospital right now."

"Will they be alright?"

"Yes…mostly" Kakashi added under his breath.

"Oh. Okay, wait. If they won, then Kiba, Michiko, Yoko, Lee and Hinata lost their fights, right?"

"Yeah. Kiba, Michiko and Yoko are fine, though. In fact, Yoko didn't receive any injuries at all."

"Then how did she lose?"

Kakashi blushed. He shouldn't really be talking about it. "Well, she came up against Shikamaru, who's strategy was very…unique. Anyway, that's not important. What is important is your condition. If you feel better, come with me. I've got something all set up."

That's all Naruto had to hear. While he didn't want to go insane again, he didn't want to be left behind even more. He got out of bed and looked around for his clothes. "Hey, where are my clothes?"

"They were in shreds, so we sent them to your apartment, so you can repair them later if you want. You'll have to wear that white hospital robe for a while."

Naruto looked at his robe. It was pure white, tied together at the waist by a white belt. He looked back at Kakashi. "But why? Can't I go buy new clothes instead?" The outfit really didn't suit him.

"Do you really want to waste time buying new clothes when you could be training?"

"You're right!" Naruto said enthusiastically forgetting about his hate of the robe, punching the air with his right arm. In doing so, the sleeve rolled down, revealing a bandage with a dark stain on it. Naruto looked at Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, what is this?"

"You were injured during your fight, so we had to bandage your arm." Kakashi quickly thought of a cover story.

"Then why is it all dark?"

"…The hospital staff just applied an ointment to the outside of the bandage to heal the wound. Don't touch it, the wound may open up again." Kakashi really hoped he bought it. He walked over to the side of the room and leaned on the wall next to a large case made of wood.

"…Alright. So, when do we start training, Kakashi-sensei?"

"As soon as you're ready. But it won't be 'we', it'll be you and a friend of mine. He specializes in teaching basics, something you're lacking."

Well, that didn't make Naruto happy. "But why?! I want you to train me! Why not?!"

"I'm sorry, but I've got other things that I need to do. I wouldn't be able to give you my full attention."

"Lemme guess…Sasuke, right? Speaking of, where is he?"

Kakashi sighed. Was it that obvious? "He's still recovering from the seal. Don't worry now, I've made special arrangements for your training; one of the best trainers in Konoha." Kakashi turned to the door. "You can come in now."

The door to Naruto's room opened, and in came…

"I-It's you! The Super Perv!!"

'Super Perv' rolled his eyes. "Brat." He said while adjusting his glasses with his middle finger. He was wearing a standard Konoha shinobi jumpsuit, a Konoha bandana, and a pair of sunglasses.

Suddenly, Naruto found his will to complain again. "Why would you chose this loser to train me?! This guy's way weaker than me!"

"…What's this about Master Ebisu being a super perv?" Kakashi asked

"Oh, please! You should have seen him when I used my harem technique, and-" He was cut off by Ebisu putting him in a half-nelson. Naruto flailed as much as he could, but he couldn't break free."

"…Harem…?" Kakashi said, blushing.

"I-It's nothing, Masker Kakashi. Hehe…" Quickly he bent down to Naruto. "I'll treat you later, just never speak of that incident again!"

"…Swear it!"

"Wow, you two know each other?" Kakashi said, breaking them apart.

"Hahaha! Well, we've had our run-ins." 'I'll never forget that humiliation, NEVER!' Ebisu said, patting Naruto's head.

"But why does he have to train me? I want you to train me, Kakashi-sensei."

"Do you really think I would be around someone as repulsive as you because I choose to? I'm here only because of Master Kakashi's request."

"Grrrrrrrrrrr-"

Kakashi cut in, trying to get some peace. "Both of you, please cut it out. Naruto, Master Ebisu is an exclusive private teacher, a Special Jonin who excels in passing on the Ninja arts. He's much better at teaching than I am, I promise." Kakashi said, hoping to avoid a fight. Ebisu and Naruto were still glaring, but there was some level of peace, so he continued. "Also, of the three members of our cell, you are the weakest in the basics. If you want to learn some cool techniques, listen closely this time around."

Naruto didn't like hearing that. "Hey, wait up! Where do I come up short compared to Sasuke and Sakura?"

Kakashi sighed. Did Naruto ever listen? "Ebisu, I believe I gave you the information. Would you mind explaining it to him?"

"Why of course not." He turned to Naruto and made a hand sign, and in his hand, a bunch of papers emerged in a puff of smoke. "Naruto, once I obtained your information from Master Kakashi, I came to one conclusion: the one thing you lack the most of is Chakra control. Please, allow me to explain." Naruto just stood there, pretending to understand.

"Stamina is used for taijutsu, while stamina can also be converted into chakra by mixing both physical and mental energies, and manipulated through handsigns to be used for Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. Therefore, stamina is necessary for all three of the ninja arts. Now, say that you have full stamina, at 100, and completely healthy."

"Now, lets say that you wish to perform a taijutsu technique. For taijutsu, which normally does not require Chakra, simple stamina control is simple because we do it in everyday life, simply by walking. All that is necessary is the precise amount of stamina necessary for that particular technique. Say we use Gai, who uses Leaf Whirlwind. Now say that Leaf Whirlwind requires 30 of his stamina, and by using it, he uses that stamina, leaving 30 of his stamina remaining."

"However, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu are far more complex than Taijutsu. Before using the technique, one must first create the necessary amount of chakra for the technique before releasing it. Then, one must perform complex hand seals to manipulate the chakra based on the individual technique. For instance, if you wished to perform a clone, you must first amass chakra. Say you wish to create a clone. You convert 30 of your stamina into Chakra, and use 10 of that Chakra for the technique. This creates one clone, and uses 10 of your Chakra, leaving you with 20 of your Chakra and 70 of your stamina remaining for later use."

"However, you cannot forget that energies used for the three ninja arts are lost after being used, and cannot be used again. If both your stamina and Chakra were completely depleted, you would be unable to move, and in worst case scenario, you would die. Do you understand?"

"Yep! Yep! Keep going!" '…'

"Now, let's compare you and your teammates using the clone technique. Let's say you all have 100 stamina, and you want to create three clones, using 30 of your Chakra. Let's look at Sakura first. When she initiates the technique, she naturally knows how to convert precisely 30 of her stamina into Chakra. Then, because she has a thorough knowledge of how to use hand signs and control her Chakra volume, she can cleanly produce three clones of herself, and still have 30 of her stamina remaining. Therefore, almost nothing goes to waste."

"Okay, I got it!" 'Does this guy ever stop talking?'

"Now, with Sasuke, he isn't as skilled at creating Chakra as Sakura is, so while he only needs 30 of his Chakra for the technique, he creates 40, 10 more than is needed. However, his skills in Chakra control through the use of hand signs are just as great as Sakura's, so he has no problem properly managing Chakra. Therefore, he can also create three of himself. However, surplus cannot be reused, and it cannot be recycled, so the extra 10 of his Chakra goes to waste, leaving Sasuke with 60 of his stamina in reserve.

"HA! Sasuke's not so great after all!" Naruto said triumphantly.

"I promise you, Naruto, you're in no position to be laughing." Naruto shut up and listened. "You're even worse than Sasuke at manipulating Chakra, so instead of amassing 30, you wind up creating 50, almost double of what is required. And then, your Chakra control for initiating techniques through hand signs is terrible; so terrible that you only use 10 of the required 30, leaving 40 to go to waste. Then you end up with only 50 of your stamina remaining, and barely managing to create a single clone, and now you wasted 40 of your Chakra. Now you can see how different the three of you are, though the results are exaggerated. You produce too much Chakra and expend too much energy, and your hand signs are in desperate need of improvement."

Naruto couldn't believe it. "No way! There've been plenty of times when I was way better than either Sakura or Sasuke! There's no way I'm that bad!"

"Naruto, out of the three of you, you just happen to have an extraordinary amount of stamina. If you could perfect your control, you could completely surpass both of them." Kakashi said. 'It must be the Kyubi's and the unknown force's influence that gives him his amazing stamina, but it also makes his control so erratic. Those three forces make it impossible for him to completely control his Chakra.'

Naruto just looked at Kakashi, then at Ebisu, the Kakashi, then Ebisu. Ebisu was silent, awaiting permission to leave. After a moment of silence, Kakashi spoke. "That's it, I guess. Thank you for your assistance, Master Ebisu."

"Of course."

Kakashi gave one last look at Naruto. "Good luck, Naruto. We may not see each other for a while, so good-bye for now. Train hard. I'll look forward to seeing what you become." 'I wish I could train both of you, but if what that man said was true, this is for the best. I hope he can tap into your true potential. Good luck.'

"Good-bye for now, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said sadly. He was about to turn around, but Kakashi grabbed his shoulder.

"You didn't think I'd completely abandon you, did you, Naruto?" Kakashi reached into his pouch and pulled out two metal vambraces. They had red leather interiors, and appeared hingeless. The metal was shiny, almost like silver, and had a design of a tree inlaid into the metal. "These vambraces are made of an incredibly strong unknown metal, stronger than tempered steel. They've been hammered on by numerous weapons, but they've never shown a single sign of damage. No one knows where these were made, or how they were acquired. These belonged to the Yondaime, and he gave them to me when he died. But, I think he would want you to have them, since you seem to want to be a swordsman." Kakashi opened the case beside him and pulled out Naruto's sword. "Ebisu, carry this for Naruto. He's still too weak to be carrying something so heavy." Ebisu nearly fainted.

"M-Master Kakashi, surely you don't mean…that thing looks far to heavy for me to carry!"

"You're the teacher, right? Teachers help their students when in need."

Ebisu unwillfully walked forward and took the sword, and staggered as he tried to adjust himself.

Naruto, on the meantime, was admiring the vambraces. "So these are really mine?" Naruto couldn't contain his excitement.

"Yes. Take good care of them, and they'll take good care of you. Use your Chakra to open them, and seal them with Chakra. You only need to do this once to open and close them." Kakashi patted Naruto's head once more. "Well, good luck. Make me proud, Naruto." With that, Kakashi walked off, leaving Naruto in Ebisu's care.

Ebisu looked down at Naruto. "Well, let's go." Naruto had already attached his new vambraces, and was admiring their feel. They were light, almost weightless, and the leather was so comfortable, he could forget he was even wearing them. "Pay attention! Let's go. We've got three months before the final exam" He staggered walking out, and Naruto got a laugh at watching him try to get through the door.

Kakashi was walking down the hall, and was about to leave when he ran into Sakura. Sakura came up to him and asked him "Hey, Kakashi-sensei! How are Sasuke-kun and Naruto?"

"They're both fine, but Sasuke still needs some care. But the good news is Naruto is ready to leave the hospital for training."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Is it safe? And why aren't you training him?"

"I have other business, and it should be safe. I hired a good teacher who may be able to help him."

"I think I'll go see him-"

"I don't think he wants to see you right now, Sakura."

"What? Why?"

Kakashi thought it was obvious. "He's angry with you, Sakura. All your attention always goes to Sasuke, but Naruto never received any kindness from you. He's distancing himself from you and our whole team."

Sakura looked hurt, but she seemed to understand. "I…I think I see, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder. "I think he just wants some attention. Give him some time, apologize, and maybe try to start over. That's my advice as your teacher." Kakashi opened his book again, and started reading.

Sakura turned and waved good-bye. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei! I'll remember that!" Sakura finished up her business there and went home, trying to think of some way to apologize.

Ebisu dragged Naruto to the hot springs, fumbling with the sword the whole time, and finally setting it down at the information desk, asking them to hold it for them. He took Naruto out to the springs, without changing clothes, and Naruto just happened to catch a glimpse into the female spring on accident.

"WHAAAAA!"

"H-Hey, Naruto! Keep away from the women's bathing room! I will not allow such disgusting behavior in my presence!" He pointed accusingly at Naruto.

"You're the one who's the pervert." Naruto said under his breath. They weren't indoors, instead Ebisu had gotten them an outdoor spring. "Look, why did we even come here to train? If you're gonna teach me, then teach me! We don't have time for baths!"

"Heh. We're not here for pleasure, Naruto. This is our temporary training ground!"

"?" Naruto just stood there, confused.

"This place is perfect to practice your miserable Chakra control."

"Wait, what can we do here? I thought we'd climb trees again."

"Heheh." Ebisu got an evil glint in his eye. "Not today. We're taking that to the next level. We're going to walk on water!"

"W-we can walk on water?!" Naruto asked, shocked at the revelation.

"You never listened in class, did you?"

"…"

"I already know you've done the tree climbing exercise. Do you remember?"

"Well, yeah, most of it."

"In order to tree climb, all you have to do is gather the necessary amount of Chakra in the necessary place, and then just maintain that stream of Chakra the whole time. Since the tree is stationary, your foot acts like a suction cup to the tree. The exercise teaches how to produce and maintain a set amount of Chakra."

"However, water walking is a little different. In order to water walk, you have to continuously emit a small amount of Chakra from your feet into the water's surface, while constantly adjusting that amount to just allow your body to float, without pushing yourself off or slowly sinking into it. This type of Chakra control is more difficult than simply maintaining, and is a type of control exercise where you learn to regulate your expenditure of a fixed quantity of Chakra, and to teach you how to continuously create small amounts of Chakra. What more, you must adjust yourself every time when you water walk, due to higher salt concentration in the water, or other foreign materials, or your own weight changing."

"Okay…What was that first part…and everything else…"

"…Perhaps I should just show you. First, gather Chakra in your feet as you would in tree climbing. Then, as you step onto the water, continuously emit a set amount, while finding a comfortable balance with your body weight and the amount of Chakra being released." Ebisu stepped onto the water, and walked out onto the middle of the spring.

"WOW!!" Naruto said, awing at the idea of him running over water. "I gotta try that!" Naruto started to mold Chakra to place in the soles of his feet, but suddenly felt a violent throbbing in his head. His facial features changed from excited to lost and dazed. Ebisu noticed this, and called out to Naruto, but Naruto didn't notice, so Ebisu started coming over. The throbbing got worse, and he fell to the ground on hands and knees. He looked at his hand, and watched it disappear, like the wind blowing sand through the air. It spread across his arm, then his other arm, then his legs, then his torso, and he floated in the air as it slowly reached his neck. Just before his head disappeared, he saw his right eye flash red and his left turn venomous green. He shut his eyes violently.

Cool breeze. He felt a mist on his skin. He couldn't feel his shirt or his shoes, just his shorts. Naruto opened his eyes, and gasped at the endless ocean in front of him. Beaches who's ends could not be seen, a green, lush forest behind him. The sun was setting, filling the clear sky with a warm, orange and pink sunset. This couldn't be an illusion, Naruto thought. He could hear the ocean licking the sand in front of him, feel the cool breeze and mist and the sand between his feet. He could smell the sea air, and the hint of foliage behind him. He felt two hands on his shoulders, but when he turned around, he couldn't see anything, but he could hear it. _"Naruto" "Naruto" "Naruto" "Naruto" _Came from a soft, feminine voice and a young, happy male voice. He could feel the hands rubbing his shoulders, and it relaxed him. He stared at the sunset, admiring its beauty. Then, the hands started shaking him, throwing him back and forth. The voices stopped, only to be replaced by a very familiar voice. _"Naruto!" "Naruto!" "Naruto!"_

"NARUTO!" Ebisu yelled at the unconscious form. Suddenly, Naruto's head jerked up, eyes wide. He stared at Ebisu for a moment, realizing he was still in the hot springs.

"Was that an illusion just now?" Naruto asked, still not believing what just happened.

"What was? Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" It must have been an illusion, or perhaps a dream, since he had been unconscious. But…it all seemed so real. But now, he could feel the other force pushing, trying to take over, far more openly than before.

"Let's return to the hospital to get you examined."

"No! I'm alright now, I just blanked out for a minute." Naruto couldn't stop now, or they'd keep him in for a month. He couldn't fall behind the others, not now.

"Alright, but if anything else like that happens, I'll have to send you back to the hospital. Give it another shot." Ebisu walked back onto the water, and collected his thoughts. 'Something was glowing on that bandage on his arm, I could see it. Is this the reason I was assigned to teach him?'

Naruto stepped back to the rim of the hot spring, more cautious than ever. Slowly, he gathered Chakra, and prayed to keep himself in control. He gathered the Chakra in his feet, slowly, and stepped onto the water, releasing a set amount. He staggered a bit, before falling in. "WUAAAGH!" _Splash!_

"I expected as much." Ebisu said, now feeling slightly guilty that he made him train here." Naruto came up a second later, grabbing for an exit. "HOT! HOT!! HOT!!!"

"Just a little motivation to stay above water. The water is over 60 degress Celsius. If you keep screwing up, you'll become a boiled octopus."

"Aw man!" Naruto said, finally grabbing a stone and pulling himself up. He tried it again, a little more recklessly than before, and met the same result. "OW OW OW!!"

"Heh…he sure is persistant." Ebisu commented. 'Now I see what Konohamaru saw in him. Even I could not make him work hard, but this child did. Perhaps there is more to him than I thought.'

Naruto continued to train for nearly an hour, but finally he started to understand the technique. His feet were just below. "Hey! I'm getting it!"

That alone impressed Ebisu. 'Amazing. He's already progressed this far. With his lousy control, I predicted two weeks of this training before he got to this level! I never would have imagined he would have matured this much.' He continued to watch, a small grin hidden by his hand adjusting his glasses. 'What he said to Konohamaru…was true. No matter the context, there are no shortcuts in life, and he seems to know that instinctively. I seem to have underestimated you. You are a wise, if slightly foolish teacher. You are more than just a demon fox,' The grin became a smile. 'You truly are a splendid Konoha Ninja!'

Naruto was currently in the middle of failing again, but managed to point to something behind him before he fell. Ebisu turned just as Naruto fell in, and saw a man with long white hair in a pony tail giggling while peeking through a hole in the women's bathhouse.

Ebisu tilted his head. "Hmph. Look, I don't know who you are, or where you're from but here in Konoha, such disgusting behavior will not be tolerated!" He lunged out of the water and ran at the offender.

"Huh?" Said the man, but the offender just turned around and brought his thumb to his mouth quickly, flipped through hand seals faster than anyone Naruto had seen, and slammed his hand into the ground. A sealing circle was seen beneath his hand, before he disappeared in a puff of smoke, all in a split second. When the smoke cleared, the man was sitting on top of a red toad with blue markings on its body and yellow eyes.

"Y-You're…!!" Ebisu couldn't finish his sentence, because the toad lashed its tongue around him and brought him high into the air, before slamming him onto the rocky tiles below, knocking him out cold.

"Sheesh. You shouldn't make such a fuss, you know. If I get busted, whad'ya think they'll do to us, huh?!"

Naruto was shocked. He crawled out of the pool, and stared at the man. 'He beat the closet perv with one strike! Wh-Who is this new perv?!' Naruto ran over to Ebisu, and tried nudging him around. 'He's totally out cold. Man, this guy really is weak after all.' Naruto looked up, and glared at the white-haired man. "Hey, what's up with that humongous frog?! Who the hell are you?!"

The man made a very dramatic pose. "Ah, a very good question! I am the most holy hermit sage of the Mount Myoboku toads, famously known as the toad hermit! Pleased to meet ya!!"

"…Toad hermit…?" Naruto said.

"Yup, you got it!" The toad disappeared in a puff of smoke, and the man landed on the ground. Now that he'd turned around, Naruto could view him properly. He wore a red vest with a circle on each side over a green robe, over a fishnet shirt and pants. He had red sandals, and a giant scroll on his back, along with the forehead ornament on his head and two red lines coming down from his dark eyes.

Naruto looked at Ebisu, and pointed accusingly at the man. "Hey, ero-sennin, what are you gonna do about this? He was supposed to oversee my training, but look what you did to him!" Naruto yelled.

"Well, it's his own fault. He interfered with my research!"

"…Research?" Naruto said.

"You see, I'm a writer. I write novels…!" He reached in his robe and pulled out a book. "…like this one!" The book was Make-Out Paradise.

"W-Wait! That's the book sensei always has!"

"Oh, so even children have heard of it? It's become quite popular!"

Naruto couldn't believe it. "You bet I heard about it, lining all the shelves in adult book stores! And how is that research?! All you were doing was peeping in the woman's bathhouse!" The sound of stampeding and shrieking could be heard coming from the woman's bathhouse.

The man was almost in tears. "FFOOL! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"

"Oh, shut up! Maybe if you were my age, you could get away with mischief, but you're old enough to be my grandpa! That's criminal activity!"

"Insolent brat! I am no ordinary perv! Peeking provides me with inspiration for my writing!"

"You and your excuses! All I care about is whay you do about my training!"

"Training? You mean your water-walking exercise you were practicing?"

Naruto jabbed his finger in the man's direction. "If you know the exercise, then pay what you owe and supervise my training!"

"I CANNOT STAND RUDE JERKS LIKE YOU!! AND I ABSOLUTELY HATE MEN!!"

'Oops.' Naruto though, backing off a little. He decided to go for another approach. "Uhh…That Make-Out Paradise book was really great. I really enjoyed it, and-"

"Make-Out Paradise is only for adults ages eighteen years and older. Don't try to butter me up with such garbage. Flattery will get you nowhere!"

Naruto thought. 'I guess this is all I have left!' He quickly made a hand sign.

The man started making threatening poses. "I am a powerful sage! I'm not a fool to be used as a puppet for a greenhorn like you! Sheesh, what a despicable brat!"

"Oiroke no jutsu!" Naruto shouted, and was engulfed in a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, there was a nude blonde woman in a very seductive pose. "How do you like me now?"

The man stared, blood trickling down his nose. "I LIKE YOU! YOU PASS!!!"

Naruto nearly fell over. '…What an idiot.'

He began admiring he body, from all directions, rushing all around. "Oh yeah! You must be some kind of genius! What's this technique called?! Eh?! Well, what?!"

"Err…I call it the sexy technique, but…" this was really awkward.

"Wow! What amazing imagination! Such creativity!" The pervert wouldn't stop staring.

'Man, I'm starting to think…that all adults are defenseless against this technique…' Naruto decided to go in for the kill. He stuck her (his) hips our and hut a finger on her (his) lip, and asked "So, will you oversee my training?" he asked with sparkling eyes.

"You got it! But only on one condition." He said slyly.

He did another sexy pose. "One condition…? What is it?"

The man had another major nosebleed, and turned around, twiddling his fingers. He peeked over his shoulders and said "I'll do it, but in exchange…y-you have to stay in that sexy form…whenever you're around me."

"…!!" The female form's eyes bulged, and blushed, before Naruto transformed back to his normal form, still in his white robe, looking pissed. He pointed accusingly at the man. "Oh yeah, 'research' my ass! You're just a perv, ero-sennin!"

"Fool! I am no ordinary pervert!"

"Oh, shut up! Don't mess around, you-"

"Muahahahahaha!! I'm a super perv!!"

"…Damn, he admitted it!"

Finally, the old man looked serious. "Well, let's put the jokes aside for now. I'll supervise your training."

Naruto didn't really believe him. "…You mean it?"

"A hermit never goes back on his word. Now, try that exercise again."

"What? You mean the water-walking?"

"No, the bang-your-head-on-a-wall-exercise. What do you think?!"

"Geez. You don't need to get snappy about it." Naruto ran over to the water and began gathering Chakra again, and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right arm, like a thousand daggers stabbing him at once, but the pain vanished before he could even yelp. He grabbed his arm on reflex, and stared at it, wondering what just happened. He thought he may have felt this before, perhaps while he slept, but he couldn't remember too well.

"Hey kid, what's the hold-up?"

"N-nothing. I'm going." Naruto gathered Chakra into his feet again, and stepped onto the water. He tried to keep his balance, but it was impossible. He couldn't keep concentration. The old man, on the other hand, was watching intently, and saw just what he was looking for. "Whoa…hey! Ahh!" _Splash!!_ "YOWCH!!" Naruto fell in, and rushed to the top to get out of the burning water.

"…"

"Argh!" Naruto yelled as he took off his robe. "This robe is so annoying! This thing sucks!" Naruto took off the belt and robe, leaving the vambraces on and his green spiral underwear.

"Hey, kid, manipulate your Chakra one more time." Jiraiya said, standing up.

"Huh?"

"Just do it."

"Uhh…okay…" Naruto made a seal and began to mold Chakra. As he did, a spiral seal formed on his stomack around his naval, surrounded by five spiral seals. Jiraiya was silent.

'So this is the seal the Yondaime used to seal the Kyubi no Yoko. Two tetragram seals…a double seal…an eight-signed seal formula, it seems…so any of the Fox's Chakra that leaks through the tetragram seal will be suppressed by and meshed with the boy's Chakra. He must have done it…for the boy's protection.' The man thought, admiring the complex seal, but then he looked at the seal surrounding the fourth's seal. 'However, since then, it's been blocked by a five-elements seal. An odd-numbered seal placed on top of an even-numbered seal…? The kid's Chakra and the Fox's Chakra have been completely severed, but because the kid always had the fox's Chakra, he isn't used to using his Chakra alone. No wonder he can't manipulate his Chakra well. Someone else must have done this…the formula's course…" The man's fingers on his right handbegan to glow. 'If I had to guess, I'd say it was Orochimaru.'

"Kid, come over here for a sec." He said, hiding his glowing hand behind his head.

"Huh? Uhh…okay." Naruto walked over to the man. 'Man, this guy loves bossing me around.'

"Now, raise your arms up, like 'Banzai!" The man said, raising his left arm as an example. He was acting cheerful.

Naruto raised his arms slowly. "Uhh…okay…what for?"

The man just kept smiling, but as soon as Naruto blinked, he thrust his right arm into the boy's stomach. 'FIVE-ELEMENTS SEAL, RELEASE!' The five swirls around Naruot's seal burned away, leaving the seal as it was before.

Naruto fell back onto the ground, clutching his stomach. "Wh-what the heck was that for?!"

The man just smiled innocently. "I just pressed some relaxation points for you. Now, go over to the spring and try water-walking again." Naruto looked up at him with confusion, but stood up and tried again.

Something was different this time; when he stepped onto the water, he found it easy to maintain balance. It was easy! "…Hey! I'm doing it! I'm doing it! This is awesome!"

The old man grinned. 'Hmm…interesting. Even after I released it, he shouldn't have been able to grasp the concept so easily. He's special, all right. Maybe he can even handle _that_ technique.'

"Hey, kid, come over here! I'll teach you an ultra-cool move!" Hook, line and sinker.

"WAHOO!" Naruto yelled, running over to the white-haired sage. "What is it? What is it? Tell me!"

"Hey, hey! Calm down! First, there's something you need to understand before we continue." He leaned closer to Naruto. "You have two types of Chakra."

"…Two types?"

"Have you ever sensed a special power inside of yourself?" He asked.

"Hmmmmmmmmm…well, now that you mention it, there have been a few times when I felt Chakra flood my body, and give me incredible strength, but I never remember much."

"Hmm…I see…"

"But…" Naruto continued, suprising the old man. "I do remember that it felt different from my normal Chakra. It's hard to describe it, but in color, I have three." The old man was shocked. Three Chakras? That was a surprise. "Mine is blue, and there's this one that's red, and a weird, smooth Chakra that's green." He didn't say anything about who he thought the Chakras belonged to.

"Good. Well, then I'll teach you your new move."

Naruto got really hyper when he heard that. "Oh yeah! This is what I've been waiting for! What is it? Well? Huh?"

"Well, before you learn it, I have to demonstrate it, so watch closely." He bit his thumb, and performed five seals in rapid succession, before slamming his palm onto the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" He was engulfed in a giant puff of smoke, emerging on top of a giant toad with a scroll in its mouth. The toad itself looked similar to the one summoned earlier.

"Hey, you did that earlier!" Naruto said. The frog unrolled its tongue, bringing the scroll to Naruto. Naruto grabbed the scroll, and sat down on the stone tiles, wondering what to do. He looked at the old man, expecting instructions.

The man explained the contract. "This contract with the summoning toads has been handed down through generations of shinobi. First, you sign your name in traditional writing with your own blood, and then below that, you make a fingerprint impression with all of your fingers on one hand. After you do that, when you're in a place where you want to summon, you prepare your Chakra, and offer some of your blood, and place the hand which you signed the contract face-down on the ground, and make the following signs: Boar, Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Sheep."

"I got it!" Naruto said, but as he said that he received another sharp jolt of pain in his right arm. He grabbed it, the pain subsiding less quickly than last time. His right arm was damaged, and he decided to sign it with his left arm. He bit his thumb, drawing blood, and began to sign the contract. He finished signing his name, and dabbed each finger on his thumb, and placed it on the contract.

Naruto looked at his work happily. "All right, is that-" Naruto watched as his name and fingerprints turned flame-red, and burn from the contract. The white-haired man stared, not believing what had just happened.

'That's not possible. The toads don't reject summoners until the boss himself disapproves of the summoner, and Gamabunta hasn't even met the kid yet! I've never heard of anything like this happening before.'

"Hey, ero-sennin, what just happened? Are they finalizing it or something?"

'They never do that, never. Perhaps I should summon Gamabunta and figure this out. But then again, I really don't want to face him.'

"Hey, ero-sennin!" Naruto yelled, pulling the man out of his thoughts. "I'm gonna try again, okay?"

The man shook his head. "No, kid. Don't bother. You just…don't have enough Chakra to sign it now. It is finalized by Chakra sealing it, but you used most of yours water-walking." The old man stood up. "Look, come back tomorrow. I'll take this guy back with me until he wakes up." The giant frog disappeared, and he picked up the still-unconcious Ebisu.

"W-wait, ero-sennin, what's going on here?"

"Come back tomorrow, and we'll have you sign it again. Goodnight, kid." He said, walking off.

"Uhh…goodnight." Naruto walked back to the lobby and picked up his sword, which he struggled to carry back to his apartment. When he got there, it was nine, so he ate some ramen, took a shower (while not removing the bandage, as the bandage was water-resistant, and he didn't want to open the wound up if it needed that much tape. At least, he thought it was a wound) and went to bed.

'_**Well well, about time. I was sealed for too long. That mark is still spreading. There's nothing more I can do besides keep the other presence from controlling his body for now. This kid is causing me too much trouble.**_' A certain evil demon thought inside of Naruto's body.

The old man stood outside Naruto's apartment, watching him sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about how his name had disappeared from the contract. The Fourth's hadn't. In fact, he'd never heard of something like this happening.

Sighing, the old man turned to Ebisu. "I'm sorry, Ebisu. It seems I've stolen your student from you…"

Ebisu shook his head. "Not at all! I would kill for the honor of being taught by you! Anyway, never mind that. It's just that I'm surprised. The Third Hokage has asked us to search for you, and no one has heard or seen of you anywhere they went, and yet here you are, in the village itself. Hokage-Sama will be pleased to hear that."

"…Have you told the Third Hokage yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Good. Please leave it that way."

"Wh-Why not?" Ebisu asked, shocked. "Then why did you return? Is it about Orochimaru?"

"Nope, sorry to disappoint you, but that's not the reason."

"The why?"

"I'm just here to gather research for my new novel. I needed some new plotlines. I'm not into seeking out trouble anymore. I'd much rather avoid it, or if anything, let it come to me."

Ebisu wasn't happy about that. "But surely you must understand more than anyone! In order to stop someone such as Orochimaru, honored as one of the Legendary Three Ninjas, then it would take the help of another form the same trio, you, Jiraiya-Sama!"

Jiraiya looked at his student, then at Ebisu. "If a time comes when I must fight, then I shall fight. Until that time, I shall do what I will. Please do not report me, Ebisu. I still have other matters I must attend to."

"…You're not going to change your mind, are you?"

"Of course not."

Ebisu bowed. "Then I will take my leave. Farewell, Jiraiya-Sama." Finishing, Ebisu disappeared into the night, leaving Jiraiya to his thoughts.

"Nice night, isn't it, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya turned around and saw a man in a black cloak, with only a few strands of blonde hair poking through the hood. However, unlike when he visited Kakashi the night before, he carried a large scroll behind him. He walked over to Jiraiya and leaned on the railing beside him. Jiraiya, sensing no hostility, made no move to stop him.

"Yes, I suppose it is. Would you give me your name?"

"Is it not common courtesy to give your name before asking?"

"It seems you already know mine."

"Fair enough, but I shall not reveal my name, not yet." He looked at Naruto through the window. "He couldn't sign the contract, could he?"

Jiraiya looked startled. "Were you watching us?"

"No, but I could…" He searched for a word "…tell what you were thinking from what you expressed. I'm too busy to keep an eye on Naruto all the time I'm in this village."

"So, you are not from this village?"

"No, nor am I a ninja, though it may surprise you."

"Then where are you from? Around here, one with your talents would have been selected for Ninja training at an early age."

"I come from a very distant land which has no ninja village. I can't tell you more than that."

"I see. Few lands lack ninja villages in today's world."

"Perhaps here, but where I come from a ninja village is not needed, though there is a military."

"…Why did you come here?"

The figure turned, and removed the scroll from its strap on his back. "This is for Naruto. It's one of the nine sacred scrolls."

Jiraiya gasped. Those scrolls were lost thousands of years ago. How could this man have found them? "H-how? They've been lost for over five millennia. I've looked for them myself, but few have even heard of them. Just who are you?"

"Heh. I should've known you would have heard of them. Yes, I found them, but I had some help. This one now belongs to Naruto." He handed Jiraiya the scroll, who accepted it tenderly.

"…Is it true that these scrolls were used by the nine heroes of legend?"

The figure bowed his head. "Well well, I am impressed. I'd imagine fewer than a dozen people in fire country would have heard that old myth. Why would you assume I knew if the legend was true?"

"Because you found the scrolls, where I could not even find a clue about them in my years of travel."

The man leaned back, looking at the stars. "Who knows? I like to believe in it, personally. Then again, it may just be an old bedtime story parents would tell their children. However, if it is true, then this scroll would have belonged to Lin Kuei, the legendary forest demon. Legend has it he slaughtered an entire army of over one thousand men to defend his home and his friends."

Jiraiya nodded his head, listening intently. "I take it you are also using a scroll?"

He nodded. "Yes, the scroll that is believed to have belonged to Black Tong, a man who is believed to have defeated three mythical generals in battle at once, all by himself."

"But…why give the scroll to Naruto and not keep it for yourself?"

"It just seems right that it belongs to him."

"I don't understand."

"You don't need to, so long as Naruto receives that scroll. In it is not only a summoning contract, but several techniques related to the animal can be found inside as the user's skills progress." The man stood up strait and walked in front of Jiraiya. "One more thing. The summoning animals are far more picky than other summons."

"Why is that?"

"You can imagine what one would do to get their hands on one of the legendary scrolls, said to have been used by the nine men who saved the world. Many have used them for evil deeds, and so the animals lost their faith in humans, and sealed their scrolls away. He must restore that faith, and they will have more tests in store for Naruto than that."

"I understand, but there's still one thing I want to know."

"Ask away."

"Naruto may be special, but is he special enough to entrust a sacred scroll to?"

"He is more special than you could imagine. I shall return in about a week to take him and prepare him for the coming dangers."

Jiraiya sighed. "So, you do intend to take him away."

"I shall have him back in time for the Chunin exams. That should give me about eighty-five days or so in training. I've already talked with Kakashi about it."

"Hmm. Very well, after I have helped him summon, I shall return him to the Konoha hospital. That right arm of his has been giving him some kind of pain."

The man seemed surprised. "It's already in the late stages. The infection is moving too fast…"

"Did you say something?"

The man shook it off. "It's nothing. Well, I should be on my way."

"Remember, I'm trusting you."

He turned around once more. "I will work hard to be worthy of that trust." Then he jumped high, across the buildings at blinding speed, leaving Jiraiya to his thoughts.

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"_The scroll I would received held a contract for a noble beast, one that is admired for its bravery: the wolf. With what I know now, it seems fitting that I should receive that scroll, in more than one way."_

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Naruto woke up early and got dressed in a black shirt with a spiral on it and some white shorts, and attached his new vambraces to his arms. He ate some ramen, and looked at his desk, where his forehead protector had been returned. He grabbed it and put it on, and ran down to the hot springs, strapping his sword to his back to make it easier to carry. He didn't have to go in after all, because Jiraiya was waiting outside.

"Well, there you are! I've been waiting for you, ya know?"

"…It's only seven thirty."

"And from now on, we start at five, got it kid?"

Naruto's jaw dropped. He hated waking up early, but this was way to much! "Hey, you crazy? And my name's not kid! It's Uzumaki Naruto, got it?!"

Jiraiya held his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay. Calm down. Look, I'm taking you to an extra-special training spot, so just follow me."

"What?! But I just carried my sword here all the way from my apartment!"

Jiraiya looked at the giant sword strapped to his back. "Wow. That's big. Oh well, let's get going!"

"Are you even listening?!"

"Nope, now shut up and come on!" Jiraiya started walking, with Naruto trying to keep up with the large man's stride. They walked for about two miles before they came to a river, and Jiraiya sat down on the bank. Naruto fell flat on his back after putting the sword to the side, breathing hard.

"Hey, you coulda helped, ya know!"

"I could've, but I didn't, so get over it."

"Why you-"

"Do you want me to teach you an ultra-cool move or not?"

"You bet I do!" Naruto yelled, instantly recovering his stamina.

"Good. Good. Here." Jiraiya said, removing the scroll from behind him and handed it to Naruto. It looked different from the one he had yesterday. Suddenly, Jiraiya became serious. "This is a special summoning contract. Remember this, Naruto, every animal has a boss, and they determine the conditions of the summoning contracts. It seems you cannot sign the frog contract, so you will sign this instead. I don't know what will happen, or what you must do in order to sign the contract, but you must bear with the consequences. I cannot help you. Are you ready."

Naruto made a fist, cracking his knuckles. "I'm gonna be Hokage someday. I can't back down from something that will make me stronger, no matter how hard it is!"

Jiraiya smiled. "Good, perhaps you can do this. The procedure for signing it is the same as with the frogs. Go ahead."

Naruto opened the contract, and it was full of dust. Naruto had to blow to find the next spot on the contract. "Man, how old is this thing?" Finally, he found the spot and bit his left thumb and signed the contract, making the fingerprints below. As soon as he finished signing the contract, a puff of smoke erupted from behind the contract, and when it cleared, there stood a golden wolf.

The wolf looked up at Naruto, its white eyes reflecting the sunlight, its fur glowing in the rays. "Who brings me here? Was this scroll not sealed away many moons ago?"

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Sealed? Well, look, I signed the contract, so do I get to summon you guys?" Naruto asked hopefully.

The wolf shook its head. "You have not the right." It looked at the ground. "My kin and I have lost our faith in humans. Please, leave us be. Seal the contract away, for all eternity. Never again shall we degrade ourselves and be used as tools of death. Please, leave us be."

"W-wait, don't go! I need your help!"

"And what makes you any different from those others who used us? You are human, and humans are the cause of war."

"Naruto." Jiraiya said. "Say what you believe. Earn his trust. It is the only way to enter a contract with the wolves."

Naruto nodded, and began to think. What did he believe? The wolf was true: if humans did not exist, there would be no war, but still, not all humans were bad as the wolf believes. He had to prove that.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto, what is your name?"

"I am Shadow Runner, the leader of the wolf clan. Please do not change the subject. Please, allow us to release your signature so we may go on living in peace."

"Wait! I can't believe what you said! Humans may do bad things, but there are good humans, just as there are bad ones! I don't want to rampage with power! I want to protect those who are important to me!"

"Then use your own power, and leave the wolves out of personal matters,"

"Please, you may stereotype all humans as bad, but I'm not one of them! I want to save those who are important to me! I need your power to do that!"

The wolf bowed its head. "Child, you do not know to whom you speak." It raised its head with pride. "We were once saviors of the world, who fought to preserve peace, but overtime our contract fell into foul hands, greedy hands, and was used for ill deeds. We sealed ourselves, so our power would never be mistreated again. No, humans are foolish, and fail to keep their promises. That has not changed."

Naruto gathered his will. He had to do this. "You act like everything's absolute! Things can be changedl; people can change!"

"Some things cannot be changed. Greed, malevolence, selfishness, all continue to exist."

"Shadow Runner," Jiraiya said. "Please let me speak of the boy."

"Do as you wish."

"It is true that many are filled with greed and desire in our world, but not all people contain those thoughts. Naruto is one of them. His desire is to become Hokage, and protect those who are important. He shall not misuse your power."

"…" The wolf was silent, waiting for more.

"I need your power to protect all who are important to me! I wanna protect my precious people!"

"…You, Uzumaki Naruto, I shall give you a chance to earn the right of summoning the wolves."

Naruto brightened up. "You mean it?!"

Shadow Runner looked at him. "We shall try once more to believe in humanity. Let us see if you are worth of our trust."

"So I can summon now?!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically.

"Not yet."

"EHH?!"

Jiraiya looked puzzled. "Isn't that all that is needed for a contract?"

"With other summonings, perhaps, but with the wolves, we do not place faith so easily. There are two more tasks you must complete before we give you the right of summoning."

"What do I have to do?!" Naruto asked, not very happy at the revelation.

"You have gained our respect, but trust is something different. First, you must make a vow, or promise, to form our contract. Then, I shall test your valor in combat. If you desire the contract, you must defeat me. We shall fight until sunset of the third day. Defeat me before the sun sets, and our power is yours."

"WHAT?! I have to fight you?! Aren't you the strongest of the wolf clan?"

"We wolves elect our leader based on wisdom, not strength. This is why the wolf clan is so renowned. I am a weaker wolf in terms of strength. Now, state your vow before me, so that all my kin may hear your words."

Naruto thought for a moment only before coming up with the perfect oath for the situation. "The people of the village who I care about, and who care about me, I swear to protect them. That is my vow, and I never go back on my word. That is my way of the ninja."

The wolf nodded. "Then we shall make a new contract upon that vow, and form a bridge of faith between humans and wolves once more. Now fight!"

Naruto didn't waste any time. He formed a very familiar hand sign. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Five clones rushed the wolf, hoping for an easy victory. The wolf, however, bashed the first one, lashed out and bit the second one, its tail lashed out to kill another one, and did a spin attack to defeat the other two. After they all dispersed, the wolf sat back down, disappointed.

"Quite a technique, but you must do better to impress me. Fight on, we have many hours before our little contest ends."

Naruto couldn't believe his clones had been taken out so easily. The wolf may be old, but it was fast. "Damit!" He shouted, creating ten clones and trying again, but it met the same result.

The wolf shook its head. "Your trick is impressive, but it is wasted here. We have the entire forest at our disposal, I suggest you use it." The wolf leapt into the trees, waiting for the boy to follow.

Naruto was getting worried. Nevertheless, he ran after the fox. 'Damn, I used a lot of Chakra with that. At least I have three days to beat him. I just hope I can.'

Jiraiya, on the other hand, decided now was the time for some well-deserved research gathering. He spotted some girls playing by a nearby waterfall, in bikinis. Well, that's all Jiraiya needed to know.

In a large cliff face outside of Konoha, Hatake Kakashi was climbing his way to the summit. Only, he was only using one arm.

'Argh! This rockclimbing exercise shouldn't be so strenuous…ugh, I've really been slacking lately. Is there enough time left?'

Suddenly, Kakashi's foot slipped, and he was hanging by his one arm, hundreds of feet above solid ground. 'Damn.' Kakashi thought, knowing he couldn't hold on for much longer.

He was breathing hard; he was slipping. He closed his eyes, and released the first of the eight gates. Kakashi could feel the power surge through his body, and he pushed upwards, reaching the top of the small mountain, to meet a familiar silhouette.

"You're late, as usual."

"Heh. Well, shall we begin?"

Sakura and Ino sat on a bench inside the hospital. Sasuke wasn't there, and neither was Naruto. Sakura had bought three daffodils, one for Sasuke, another for Naruto, and one for Lee, but the former two weren't anywhere, despite Sasuke still being registered as a patient.

"Where could Sasuke have gone?" Ino asked, holding a single red rose.

'I wish I knew.' Sakura thought, but scolded herself afterward. This was why Naruto was so angry with her. "Yeah, I'm worried about Naruto too."

"Eh? Since when are you worried about him?"

"Well, I haven't really been fair to him, and I feel bad about it. I wanted to apologize, but he's not here either."

Ino nodded. "Yeah. With the way he is, he should be the one confined to bed."

"Maybe…" Sakura thought. 'Where did you two go?'

"Stop! What are you doing?! Get back to bed, now!" A nurse yelled from outside. Sakura and Ino turned around to see Lee on the ground, his left arm and leg in casts, and cheeks bandaged, doing one-armed push-ups, and the nurse beside him trying to get him to stop.

"That's Lee!" Ino said.

"Yeah, what's he doing? After what Gaara did to him, he shouldn't be moving at all!"

The nurse apparently thought the same thing. "Lee! Please stop!! Your body is in no condition for training!"

"Be quiet and leave me alone!" Lee roared. That shut the nurse up.

'I am still…not finished yet.' "196!" 'Neji, Gaara, Uchiha, and even Naruto have made it past this. I will not…be left behind!' Lee thought to himself, pushing himself to his limits. "197!" 'If I give up now, all my hard work will be worthless!' "198!"

"…Ino, is it true?"

Ino looked at Sakura. "What's true?"

"The rumor…that Lee can never be a shinobi again?"

"…it looks that way."

"199…" Lee's body couldn't handle it any more, and he collapsed, unconscious.

"Lee!" All three shouted at once. Sakura and Ino ran over to check on Lee.

The nurse turned to Sakura and Ino. "I'm going to go get help. You two, stay here and make sure he doesn't move!" She commanded.

"Yes, ma'am." They said.

Sakura stared at Lee, wondering. Finally, she decided to voice her thoughts. "Hey, Ino, why do boys…" She had tears brewing in her eyes. "…always push themselves too far?"

Ino was silent, before answering. "How would I know? I'm a girl too, you know…"

"Sorry…" The two just watched over Lee until the nurse arrived, and helped carry him back to bed. When Lee would wake up the next day, he would find a daffodil in a vase beside his bed.

"Damnit!" Naruto shouted. He was tired, wet, and hungry, not to mention worn and cut all over. His fresh clothes were full of holes and scratches. He hadn't been given a chance to do anything besides fight for the last two days, and he only had an hour before sunset on the third day, and the end of the third day was only an hour away at best. He had to think of something.

'Aw man, I'm almost out of time! Where's that wolf?'

'…**brat, I'll make you a deal.**'

'Eh?! Kyubi, what are you doing?! How are you talking to me?'

'**Listen, brat, I don't like talking to you so I'll make it quick: I'll give you some of my power, but with that power flows the other foul presence, and you shall receive that as well. Do we have a deal?**'

'…Why would you help me?'

'**I believe if you die, I die as well, so I need you to be able to protect yourself. Find the wolf, and I can give you one minute of power until I have to cut back, otherwise you'll go berserk again.**'

'…Alright, but you better be telling the truth.'

'**Find the wolf, then I shall grant you the power. However, your own power will be drained because your body can only endure for so long, so after one minute, your own Chakra will be exausted from trying to hold it back**'

'Alright.' Naruto agreed, and ran back to the river to find his sword.

"Oooooooooh hehehehe!" Said a blushing Jiraiya as he peeked through the bushes at the girls. He heard something from behind him, and fearing it was one of the girls spun around, but only saw Naruto running for his sword.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be fighting that wolf?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yeah, and you're supposed to be supervising my training! A lotta help you are!"

"Well, this is your fight. I can't do anything to interfere. Good luck."

Naruto kept running to his sword, but just as he reached it, Shadow Runner burst out of the bush and lashed at Naruto's left arm, and flying past him landing about five meters away.

Naruto gritted his teeth at the pain, but grabbed his sword none the less. Jiraiya was watching with interest. He'd never seen a kid actually use a sword that large. The moment Naruto grabbed his sword, the fox released his power, and Naruto felt that power surge through his body. His right eye glowed a ferocious red, and he turned to face the wolf, sword at the ready.

The wolf was silent, before saying "An unusual aura comes from you. Perhaps I underestimated you." The wolf took another battle position, before charging at Naruto. Naruto did the same, knowing he had less than a minute to win. As he ran, the wolf noticed Naruto's wounds were healing. 'Yes…this one is indeed special.'

The wolf leapt into the air, trying to bite Naruto, but Naruto brought the broad side of his sword up go block the bite, pushing the wolf to the side, and rushing again, aiming a downward strike. Shadow Runner rolled to the side, dodging the blow, and tried to bite Naruto's leg, but Naruto used the targeted leg to kick the wolf, sending it back several feet.

'I've only got about 30 seconds left, I'd guess. I'll have to end this now'

'Heh. This kid is something, all right. It looks like he's tapped into the power of the fox and that other energy, but how long can he hold it?' Jiraiya thought as he observed.

Shadow Runner charged at Naruto again at high speeds, but Naruto took this opportunity to end it. He rolled onto his back and stuck his feet out at the wolf, and used the wolf's own momentum to carry him over, sending him into the river. When the wolf managed to reach the surface, Naruto was standing there, his sword inches away from his face.

The wolf nodded. "You are indeed powerful. Very well, you have bested me in combat, so my tribe and I shall fulfill our end of the contract."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, feeling the power subside. Using his remaining strength, he walked over to the riverbank, next to the wolf. Once he made it back to the contract, he fell to his knees from exhaustion, his sword beside him.

Shadow runner sat on the other side of the contract, staring at Naruto. "You have done well to defeat me. I am far from the strongest member of the wolf tribe, but defeating me is still no small task. Well done. Now, state your oath once more, and the contract shall be complete."

Naruto stood up once more with the last of his strength, and spoke to the wolf. "I said it before, the people of the village who I care about, and who care about me, I swear to protect them."

Shadow Runner nodded. "Very well. Uzumaki Naruto, you are the first to have gained the trust of the wolf clan in over five millennia. Now, I shall bestow the knowledge of summoning unto you. Use it well." Energy flowed from the wolf's body, and formed the shape of a small golden sphere above its head. The shining ball floated over to Naruto, where it burst, and scattered around his head. He looked shocked, and watched as the glowing particles circled around his head, floating closer, and closer, until finally surrounding his head completely, and then it disappeared, leaving a stunned Naruto.

The wolf bowed to Naruto. "For now, we shall not allow you to summon us. Before you may, we shall judge you from afar. If we see you hold your oath to the clan and a desire to protect those close to you, we shall give you our full blessings. Perhaps if you do, we shall share more ancient secrets with you. Farewell until next time, Uzumaki Naruto." The wolf disappeared in smoke, and when the smoke blew away, there was no sign of Shadow Runner.

Jiraiya walked up to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good job. It's hard to earn the faith of those who desire not to believe."

Naruto still stood there, shocked. "So, they won't accept me yet?"

Jiraiya shook his head, but kept smiling. "No, but they will. That light was a bond they forged with you, and once the rest of the wolf clan accepts you, they will appear before you again. You did well, Naruto. Better than anyone could have hoped.

"Heh. So I'm not 'kid' anymore?" Naruto asked drowsily.

"Don't spoil the moment." Naruto would have responded, but he fell asleep standing, and would have fallen over if Jiraiya hadn't caught him. "Well, that fight must have taken a lot out of you. Good job, Naruto." He picked him up and carried him on his back. "I'll take you back to the hospital to recover. I'm sure we'll meet again, but for now, I'm sure that cloaked man will appear to you soon. Good luck, Naruto."

Naruto woke up to find himself in the hospital…again. He heard some paper moving to his left, so he turned to see Shikamaru reading a book beside his bed. "Huh?"

Shikamaru turned. "Hey, so you finally woke up."

"Huh? Where'd you come from? Where's ero-sennin?"

"How should I know? I'm here because I came to visit Choji, even though it's troublesome. When I heard you were back here too, I dropped by for a visit. \

"Wow. Did Choji really get hurt that bad?"

"Nah. After his match, Choji ate too much barbeque, and got a severe case of indigestion."

"Hahaha! That's just like Choji!"

"Hmph. Well, you two aren't the type to get female visitors, so-" He was cut off as Sakura walked in. "…"

"…Hey, Naruto."

"Hey Sakura." Naruto wasn't exactly happy to see her.

Sakura knew she had to act quickly before Naruto kicked her out. "Look Naruto, I've been thinking, and I haven't really been treating you fairly. I came here to say…I'm sorry. So…I was thinking we could start over." Sakura said timidly.

"…" Naruto thought for a moment "…Thanks, Sakura-chan."

Sakura sighed, and smiled. "Thanks Naruto. I'll try to be a nicer friend than before."

"I'll try, too."

Sakura pulled her hand out from behind her. "And I'll start with this!" Sakura said happily holding a fruit basket. She placed it on Naruto's table. Naruto stared at the basked hungrily.

"…Naruto, how long has it been since you last ate?" Shikamaru asked.

"…how long have I been out?"

"…About three days."

"A while."

Sakura handed him an apple. "Then eat up. Hospital food isn't all that good anyways."

They talked for a while longer, before the two of them had to leave. Naruto decided he needed more sleep and closed his eyes, drifting into dreams.

Naruto woke up an hour later to see Hotaka next to him, playing a card game. He heard Naruto stir and turned to greet him. "Well, it's about time, sleeping beauty. My team was here earlier, but they had to go on a mission while I trained.

"Eh? Oh yeah, you passed the preliminaries too, didn't you?"

"Yup. Michiko lost to Tenten, and Yoko…well, I won't go into the details."

"What happened?"

Hotaka blushed, not wanting to discuss it. "Well…I'll tell you later, after it blows over. Yoko would kill me if she found out I was talking about it."

"Sounds serious…TELL ME!" Naruto demanded, more curious than ever.

"Not now, Naruto."

"Fine." Naruto gave up. "Hey, what happened to everyone else? Like Gaara and that Neji guy. They won, right? Who'd they beat?"

Hotaka hung his head. The defeated had been treated in a…less than humane ways. Hinata is out of the hospital and recovering at home, but Lee…"

When Hotaka didn't finish, Naruto asked "What about Lee?"

Hotaka looked up, having been pullod out of his thoughts, and looked at Naruto. "Well, it's probably better if you see it yourself." Hotaka stood up, and so did Naruto wearing another hospital robe, much to his chagrin. Hotaka led the way, and walked Naruto down a set of stairs. They continued down the hall until they made it to Lee's room. Hotaka opened the door, but once he did, his eyes widened, and in a split second he flipped through some hand seals. "Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu!"

Naruto ran into the room, wondering what was going on. There, he saw Gaara, looking around, wondering where he was. Hotaka turned to him. "He only sees himself in a void. He doesn't know where we are."

Naruto ran up and punched him in the face before he had time to realize what he was doing, but Gaara's sand blocked it. "Naruto, it's no use. That sand will protect him from harm automatically. You can't break through it with your power alone." Hotaka said. "This guy can control sand. Look at Lee. He has sand covering his sheets. Gaara must have come to finish him."

Naruto looked at Gaara. "What the heck are you trying to pull?" He asked, wanting to confirm Hotaka's thoughts.

Gaara spoke calmly as if nothing had happened. "I wanted to kill him."

"WHAT?!" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto, let him speak." Hotaka said, becoming cool and calm again, thinking things out. 'He's acting too calm. Normally people try to claw their way out of this technique, but he hasn't even flinched.' When Gaara didn't continue, Hotaka spoke. "You've already defeated him, so why do you wish to finish him? Is it a personal grudge or issue like that?"

"No, nothing like that."

"…?!"

"I want to kill him…because I want to kill him."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING?!" Naruto screamed.

Hotaka shook his head. "What happened to make you like this? You're so selfish, uncaring…" 'This may be too much for us to handle. If he does to us what he did to Lee, we'll be killed for sure. There's no Jonin instructor to step in this time…what to do…?'

"If you try to interfere, you'll die too."

"Bring it on!" Naruto yelled, raising his first to challenge him, but Hotaka quickly swat it down.

"Naruto, now's not the time for that." But then Hotaka had a thought. 'Or maybe it is.' "Look, I've seen you fight, and I know you're strong, but you should never underestimate your opponent. Both of us are powerful ninjas, as you saw in the fights a week ago, and we still have some aces up our sleeves. And then, it'll be two on one, leaving you at a disadvantage. However, leave Lee and swear to leave him alone, and we won't hurt you."

"I'll say this once more, if you interfere, you will die."

Hotaka growled. 'Damn, just what is this guy?!'

"OH YEAH?! JUST TRY ME!" Naruto shouted.

Hotaka held him back. "Stop, you idiot! You haven't seen this guy's monstrous strength!"

Naruto smirked. "He may have monstrous strength, but I've got a real monster in me! There's no way I'd lose to a guy like this!"

"…"

"…"

There was silence until Gaara spoke. "Hmph. A monster, eh? Now that you mention it, I've got one of those too." Naruto and Hotaka stood there, not believing it. "You were right, something did happen to make me like this. In my birth twelve years ago, I stole the life of the woman I was to call my 'mother' for the purpose of creating the world's strongest shinobi. To do this, my father used a sacred ninjutsu to implant an incarnation of sand within my body. I was born a monster!"

'Shukaku, the Ichibi!' Hotaka thought.

'He's got something…inside him too?'

"It was known as Shukaku, the spirit of a former Sand Village elder, who had been sealed inside a teakettle."

"A type of possession technique that causes a fetus to forcibly be possesses? What kind of parent does that, I wonder. That's some twisted love." Hotaka said.

"Love?" Gaara said, not understanding. "Things like that, family, friendship…letme tell you what those words mean to me." He paused, collecting his thoughts. "Nothing but a bunch of meat, connected by hatred and murderous intent." Hotaka and Naruto were in shock. Who could think like that? "My mother's life was sacrificed, only so I could be brought to life as the greatest tool of war, and as Kazekage's son. In my youth, my father taught me secret shinobi skills, one after another. I was raised in wealth, spoiled, and alone. At first, I thought that was love…until that incident all those years ago…"

"…Incident?"

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked. When Gaara didn't continue, Naruto asked again, more forcibly. "Well, what the hell happened?"

Gaara's mouth slowly twisted into a murderous grin. "Hehehe. For the past six years, since I was six, my father has been trying to assassinate me more times than I can count!"

Hotaka couldn't understand it. "Wait, you just said your father spoiled you, and taught you sacred arts! What do you mean 'assassinate you'?!"

"Hehe. Great power that grows without restraint is soon feared. My mind is…unstable, you could say. The fools of the village finally realized I had emotional issues. To my father, I was the ultimate weapon of death and destruction. but at the same time, I was explosive and unstable, ready to blow at any moment. So when I turned six, he and the council determined that I was too much of a _liability_. Before that, I was merely handled delicately and with care, like a poison that kills on contact; valuable, but deadly if used by inexperienced hands."

Gaara's hands clenched slightly, as if showing anger. "To them, all I am now is a relic of the the past that they wish to destroy and leave behind in history. So then, why am I alive? At first, when I asked myself that, I couldn't find an answer. But…while I continued to live, I needed a purpose, otherwise there is no meaning in living."

"…" Naruto couldn't find anything to say. 'I think…I get it. This guy…he's just like me…'

"What the…no way…"

"So, after some searching, I found an answer: 'I exist to kill everyone other than myself.' While living in fear, knowing I might be assassinated at any moment, I finally found inner peace. By killing those who sought to sought to kill me, I was able to gain a reason to justify my own existence. I would fight only for myself and love only myself. If all other people exist to magnify my love, then there is no greater world that this. The thrill of survival, knowing I'm alive, they give me that joy, and for as long as there are people for me to kill…I have a reason to exist."

"This guy…"

'I-I can't believe it.' Naruto thought. 'We used to be the same, all alone, but this guy…he's still alone, believing his only way to live is to kill. I never thought people like him existed. He's…there's no way I can beat him!' Naruto started walking back, actually feeling afraid. And then…

"Naruto!" Hotaka yelled as Naruto gasped in pain. Naruto grabbed his right arm, and pulled the cloth back to see the bandage, but his eyes weren't on the bandage. Dark pus was running down the bandage, flowing to his arm, and falling to the floor. Naruto kept emitting short gasps as small drops of the black pus covered the floor beneath him. He could feel them, the daggers stabbing him once more, but this time, the pain wouldn't go away. Naruto fell to his knees as the flow continued, rapid images emerging in his mind. The ocean, a glowing pool of green, thread-like waves all around him, explosions, great fires engulfing an entire village, a woman cradling his infant form, Sasuke being killed, all flashed through his mind, until Naruto finally couldn't take it anymore. Hotaka was trying to get close to Naruto, but didn't know what to do besides kneel beside him. He didn't notice he released the genjutsu. He only noticed danger when he heard the flow of sand.

"Now," Gaara said, catching Hotaka's attention. "Help me feel alive!" Gaara roared, pillars of sand flying at them.

"ENOUGH!" A masculine voice yelled, catching their attention. They Gaara and Hotaka turned to see who entered the room, revealing Maito Gai. "The finals will begin in a few months from now. I suggest you hold all grudges until the matches, unless, of course, you wish for a hospital bed of your own."

"Ugh!" Gaara gasped, clutching his head. He slowly walked out of the room, ignoring Gai's glare of hatred. He turned back at the door. "I will kill you all, just you wait." Finishing, he left the hospital. Gai turned his attention to the now unconscious Naruto. He turned to Hotaka. "Take him back to his room. He needs his rest. I shall go inform Hokage-Sama of what has happened here." Gai said, leaving the hospital.

Hotaka looked down at Naruto, and the black pus. He decided to place some in a vial for later study. Using a spoon and a vial, he carefully scooped some in and sealed it. With that done, he took Naruto to his room and laid him down on his bed. "Sleep well, my friend." He said before leaving the room to go report this to the nurses.

It wasn't until late at night that Naruto woke up; well past midnight at least. He looked around in the dark, but finding nothing of interest. He raised his right arm, and saw a strange mark pertruding out of the bottom of the bandage, just above his wrist. It was dark grey, and looked like it was dead. He lowered it, not wanting to bother with it now. He was about to go back to sleep, when he felt something.

Power, enormous power, like the kind that infected his body. He didn't know how he felt it, but he just could. He decided he had to investigate this. This could be his only chance to ever find out just what was happening to him. He looked beside his bed, and found his sword. He tucked it in behind his belt and opened the window, noticing they were only on the second story. He carefully stepped out of the window and used his Chakra to walk down the building. He ran out of the Hospital area and onto the streets.

Carrying the sword like it was wasn't that hard. In fact, he could even run. He felt the power coming from a gated forest area, so he jumped over the gate and continued running. He could feel it, closer and closer as he ran through the giant trees. He drew nearer and nearer until he was in a forest clearing, and then…

_BANG!!!_ Something loud shook the entire forest. An explosion? No, there weren't any leaping flames where he heard it. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw two men in the trees, one dressed in a long pants and an open vest and short blue hair and the other dressed in a black robe and long black hair down to his waist all around his body, both with swords tucked on their sides, among other complex gadgets.

"…You missed." Said the one wearing the robe.

"Ah well, long range fighting isn't my specialty." Said the other. He turned his attention to the boy. "Well well, look at what we got here? You fell right into our trap. Looks like you were right. He did come when we released some energy."

Naruto was confused. "Who the hell are you guys?!"

The blue-haired man smacked his head. "Geez, kid, you're not too bright. We're trying to kill ya. Can't put it more simply than that."

Naruto stepped back, shocked. "W-wait! That energy I sensed! Did it come from you guys?"

"…I just said that. Do you need a hearing aid or something?"

"…Hearing aid?"

He smacked his head again. "Oh yeah, I forgot how primitive this world is."

"What do you mean 'this world?'"

The black haired man shook his head. "That is none of your concern." He turned to his partner. "I'll leave him to you. Remember, even a hare bites when it is cornered."

"Got it!" The man said enthusiastically as he jumped down from the treetops. When he hit the ground, Naruto could see he was young, possibly seventeen or eighteen. The man looked up and drew his sword. "Well, you gonna just stand there or are ya gonna fight me?"

Naruto summoned his wits and replied "Heh, you got no idea who you're challenging! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm gonna be the next Hokage!"

The man just laughed. "Believe what you want, kid. It ends here." The man wasted no more time and lunged at Naruto, who quickly jumped over his attacker and landed behind him, but the man had a surprise: he swung his sword in a crescent motion above him, and slashed Naruto's chest, but only shallowly. Naruto jumped back, gripping his chest in pain. Suddenly, he felt that same power that he used to defeat Shadow Runner coursing through him. He grabbed his sword and began attacking with a downward swing, but the man simply side-stepped and kicked Naruto in the face. Naruto spun backwards and fell on the ground.

"Stop fooling around. We've got another target after this mission."

"Yeah yeah." The man replied.

Naruto took this opportunity to charge, roaring as he ran. The other man didn't even turn around, but placed his sword over the back of his neck, blocking Naruto's giant downward strike without effort. He spun around, forced the sword off of him, and made a grass-cutter cut at Naruto's legs. Naruto managed to jump this and readied a punch, finally landing a blow. Naruto smirked at the hit, and armed a kick, but he was shocked to see the blue-haired man unaffected by his strikes, and quickly delivered a strike to Naruto's chin, sending him fly into the air.

The man could only laugh at his pathetic attempts. "Give it up, kid. You don't stand a chance against me." Naruto didn't listen and roared as he stood up and charged him. He swung his sword horizonally, but the man just jumped over it and drove his thin sword down, burying it in Naruto's shoulder. Naruto cried out in pain, filling the forest with his voice. He fell to his knees gripping his shoulder, not being able to handle the pain.

"Kid, just accept it: you're gonna die. It's over. You think you can hit me with what you call swordsmanship? I've seen turtles move faster than your sword." He walked closer, pushing his sword deeper into Naruto's shoulder, reaching the bone. Naruto just started at the ground, in shock. "So, you finally get it, huh? I'd rather not kill a kid, but orders are orders."

'This is it…I'm going to die.' Naruto thought. 'H-he's way to strong. I can't keep up. I'm going to die…I'm going to die right here…I can't believe it…' Naruto felt a pulsing feeling in the back of his head. Kyubi? No…but he knew it well enough by now. It was coming out.

"Face it kid, you haven't even learned to focus. You can't fight to kill. You can't fuse your power with your weapons. You're just a lonely little boy who wants to play ninja!"

"Enough bragging, finish him." The other man yelled.

The blue-haired man tried brushing it off. "Yeah, I got it. I'll kill the kid." He withdrew his sword from Naruto's body to raise his sword for the kill, but he couldn't. He couldn't move the sword. He looked and found Naruto holding the blade, blood running down his hand. He shoved the blade out of his shoulder and forced it upwards and swung his giant sword at him, much faster this time. But, the blue-haired man just jumped back, snatching his sword from Naruto's hands.

"Well, someone's being stubborn. Fine, kid. I was gonna finish you off real fast, but now-" He stopped, feeling something run down his cheek. He rubbed his cheek with his hand, and felt a small tear in the flesh. "No way…" He looked at Naruto and saw him standing up. When he raised his head, the man met a shining blue eye and a glowing red eye, ready to kill.

"How could you still be standing?"

"I don't know." Naruto said with a wicked grin. "GET OUTTA MY WAY!!! He said, bringing his sword around. It was blocked, but the force of the momentum forced the man to fly back over ten feet. Naruto quickly jumped into the air to finish him, but the man barely managed to roll out of the way. Just as he stood up, he met a barrage of sword strokes, and suddenly he was on the offensive. He blocked one blow and kicked the sword into the ground, and got some distance.

"How are you moving so fast?" The man demanded to know.

"I don't know, but who's complaining?" Naruto replied, rushing again. He used a diagonal blow, which was blocked, but kicked the man in the gut while his arms were up. As he sailed back Naruto ran forward, and as the man stood up, he kicked his chin, sending him flying, and prepared to stab him in the chest. However, moments before the blow could it…

_CLANG! SHING! CRACK! _Naruto's sword suddenly burst into about a dozen fragments, scattered over the area. 'What? How?!' Naruto asked himself, feeling the power slip. The other man was staring at the sword handle that had almost finished him, so he couldn't have done it. 'That just leaves the other man, but he was still in the trees. He couldn't have made it down in time…' Naruto looked around the forest floor, and saw the black-haired man with a shining Katana out. "How did you-" Naruto didn't get to finish before the man suddenly flashed by, giving Naruto a deep cut across his chest, sending blood flying through the air.

'How? How could he move so fast?' Naruto thought. Both figures watched him as he and the hilt of his once-giant sword hit the ground.

The blue-haired man looked at the other. "Sir, I could have taken him out. He couldn't have used that power for long."

The other man smirked. "Yes, but even I would get rusty without practicing every now and then."

"…Yes sir."

The black-haired man looked at Naruto, who hadn't moved at all. "I see what he meant: there is a resemblance; especially in the eyes."

The blue-haired man looked at him. "Well sir, are you going to finish him?"

The black-haired man turned away. "Let the animals have him. Besides, he will bleed to death before sunrise."

"You sure?"

"Yes." He gave Naruto one last cold look, before looking forward. "Let's hurry. Our leader is probably getting impatient." With that, the two vanished, leaving Naruto for dead.

The power Naruto once felt had left him. 'The pain…I can feel it again.' There was nothing now; no strength, no will, he hardly had enough of either to continue breathing. 'Why can't I scream? I can't even cry.' He'd have happily gone berserk if he could live, but they took that form out without even trying. 'I was right. I'm going to die here…it's cold.' He finished.

Suddenly, he heard something moving. The animals must be coming to eat me, he thought. But it wasn't. Down from the trees descended a man cloaked in black, who came running to Naruto. That's all he could see before passing out.

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"_I didn't know why they wanted me dead. They left with no reason, no name, and no purpose. I had pity myself. Why did all this have to happen to me? I never asked for any of this. Now that I have the knowledge gained through age, I see just how life isn't always fair with who is forced to suffer for the whole."_

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Naruto felt like he was floating in a river; surrounded by water. It was warm, and comforting. The pain was gone, replaced by cool feelings. He opened his eyes, and if there hadn't been a breathing tube attached to his face, he would have screamed.

He was inside a bubbling tube, literally floating in water in nothing but his underwear. Looking around, he was in a large room made out of what looked like metal. There was a man in a large white coat writing things down. Naruto, not wanting to alert anyone, pretended to still be asleep. While pretending, he noticed the pain was gone. He peeked a look at his body, and found his wounds had already healed!

Naruto heard the man in the white coat leave the room, and figured this would be the best time to try to escape. He formed a familiar cross seal and created three bunshins outside of the glass. They each started pounding on the glass, trying to make it give way, but it wouldn't. Finally, one clone got fed up with it and hit a little panel filled with shiny buttons. The capsule drained of water and opened up, allowing Naruto to leave.

"Wow. Nice move." Naruto commented before cancelling the technique. He looked around the room for some clothes, and found some on a hanger on a rack near the door. It was a deep blue tank top and some black pants with boots. Naruto, not seeing anything else available, grabbed them and put them on. The strange thing was they fit perfectly, like they were selected just for him. Maybe they were. That finished, Naruto grabbed his sword which was by the clothes and tucked it into the belt.

Next, he saw the door. It was like a sheet of metal, and he knew banging on it would only get everyone's attention. So, he did the thing his clone did before: he used the panel beside the door. He hit the red button, and nothing happened. He hit the blue button, and nothing happened. He hit the green button, and he heard a something that sounded like a soda opening, and the door moved into the wall. Naruto admired it for a second, before remembering he had to escape. He poked his head out, and looked around. The hall was empty, so he made a run for it down the hall.

The hall was metal died a hint of blue, there was a cart in the hallway, and on the cart was a small device that was glowing. Naruto wanted to get a closer look, but decided to ignore it.

Suddenly, Naruto heard talk coming from the hallway he was headed to. Thinking fast, Naruto did the only thing he could think of, which was hang from the ceiling. Thankfully, they didn't notice him. They just kept walking. Naruto did listen to their conversation, however, and it was very interesting.

"Yes, he was injured when they brought him in. Got in a fight with some enemies in Konoha, I believe."

"How is he?"

"He's recovering in his room right now. I'm supposed to check on him in another half hour."

They had to be talking about him, which gave him about half an hour to get out. Once they were gone, he dropped down and returned to running. He zigzagged through the lighted halls, going upward as he went. However, he went around one corner too fast without looking and…"OOF!" Naruto said, falling to the ground face-first. It was then that he realized that his wounds may be healed on the outside, but they still hurt! He'd run into a girl wearing a blue shirt with white flower outlines under a black vest. She also wore short shorts and a black headband . She had dark eyes and short black hair.

"Oww! Hey, watch where you're-" She stopped, noticing the spiky blonde hair. "Oh, there you are! I've been looking all over the base for you! I wanted to show you my new shuriken! It's got an awesome design on-" Naruto managed to sit up and look her in the face, only to have her realize she wasn't talking to who she thought she was. "Hey, you're that kid that was brought in, right?!"

Naruto didn't answer and was already trying to run, and just got through another door when he bumped into another man. He didn't fall this time though, because the other man caught him. Looking up, Naruto recognized him.

"Hey, you're the guy I saw in the forest!"

The man nodded. "Are you confused?"

"Duh!" Naruto thought it was obvious

"Well, follow me and I swear I'll tell you everything." The man said, and started walking higher up a flight of stairs with Naruto soon at his heels. They reached another long flight of stairs, and the man stopped them before they started climbing. "It'll be easier if I do this." Naruto saw some Chakra surround the man, saw a giant flash, and when he opened his eyes again he was in another room, a large one and very elegant one.

The man turned to another man dressed in a long blue coat with gold on the seams. He had facial hair and long black hair down his neck. "May I borrow your room?"

The other man turned to look at Naruto. "Are you going to introduce him?"

"Yes."

The man stood up. "Be my guest. Good luck." He said as he walked out of the room. The other man turned to Naruto and offered him a very comfortable chair. "Have a seat."

Naruto took a seat, laying his sword beside the chair. "Where the hell am I?! Is this really another world?!" Naruto burst out.

"Hmph. It seems those attackers let out more than they should have. Good. That saves me some time to explain. Yes, you are in another world."

"H-how?"

"I brought you here." The man sat down in a chair opposite of Naruto. "Naruto, you are like me. You are special."

"…Are you talking about the Kyubi?"

"The Nine-Tailed fox? No, that's not what I'm talking about. It's the other thing that makes you special, the thing you have come to fear using."

Naruto's eyes widened. He shook his head, hands gripping the arms of the chair. "There's no way! There's nothing special about that!"

"When you defeated the wolf, you used that power, if only for a short time, did you not?"

Naruto was shocked. "H-how do you know about that?"

"I was watching you. I've been watching you for nearly a month, shortly after you first used your power to defeat that Haku child."

"You've been spying on me?!"

"You could call it that, I suppose."

"Well, why do you need me?"

The man stood up, pacing the room. "Both of our homes our in danger, along with what could be many others." He stopped pacing and turned to face him. "If you could harness that strength as I have, you could become strong enough to fulfill that contract you made with the wolves. It's your choice, but if that power remains uncontrolled, you will remain in that state, and that wound on your arm will not recede."

Naruto was excited at that offer. "So you'll make me stronger?!"

"Yes, if you promise to assist us. A war is coming, but this won't be like one of your shinobi wars. Do you understand?"

"Not really, but I made a promise to defend Konoha and everyone I care about in it. I won't let them down!" Naruto said, forming a fist.

The man took off his hood, revealing a young man with a pale face and shining blue eyes, spiky golden blonde hair that reminded Naruto of a peacock in front, and wedged in the back. He was giving a small smile. "I'm happy to hear it. Now let's go to our own base to get things worked out." He said, grabbing both of their swords and preparing to leave.

Naruto stood up. "Wait! You already know my name, but what's yours?"

The man looked over his shoulder in stride, smirking as Naruto ran to catch up. "I'm Cloud Strife, and I'm cutting off your ninja joy ride."

Next Time: Otherworldly Arts

**Notes**

Ha! I bet none of you saw that coming. Okay, well, maybe near the end. One person said he might know what it was. I wonder if they were right.

Sorry about the extremely late update, but the original chapter eight was supposed to be the finishing of the preliminaries, but I got so bored writing about that that I just quit for a while. But now I feel I've gotten my rhythm back. I scrapped that chapter and re-wrote it starting with what I had planned for chapter nine. I'm pretty happy with it, especially since it's my longest chapter yet at over 17,000 words. So, thanks for being patient.

Well, here are the translations

Ero-Sennin-Perverted Hermit

Oiroke no Jutsu-Sexy Technique

Kuchiyose no Jutsu-Summoning Technique

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu-Shadow Clone Technique

Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu-Demonic Illusion: False Surrounding Technique

One more thing, i'm adding this after the chapter is finished. I did get the final fight scene from Bleach, but it seemed to fit when I thought about it, so sorry if anyone was offended. I just wanted to end the chapter.

And now…THE LONG AWAITED RESULTS OF THE VOTE!!! These are taking into account online votes and review votes.

**New Reasons To Smile: 1****st**** place**

Banished, Naruto leaves Konoha to begin life anew, making new friends, traveling to new lands, and taking the plunge into a new life: The leader of The Wandering Jinchurikis. NaruXOC GaaraXOC

Man, this one won by a landslide! I'll have this chapter up soon, and the prologue I'm hoping to have up before next weekend.

**I Walk Alone: 2****nd**** place**

'What's the point?' He said. Tired of standing the hatred of the villagers, Naruto leaves Konoha to find a new road, and starting over was just a new beginning of a new life: a mercenary.

This will be written as well, its prologue up as soon as possible. I've decided to not give Naruto a pairing in this story after all, but it won't matter. Romance won't play a huge roll in my stories anyways. (Besides, I suck at writing romance.)

**Project Rebirth: Unit One (Formally Unit-P-X-001): 3****rd**** place**

Naruto has had a life filled with lies. The Kyubi, the Yondaime, the Hokage, his life, his purpose, everything has been one giant lie…to protect him. Now with his secret out, Naruto thirsts for revenge…

This one won't have Naruto as evil as he ws before, but rather one who despises his village for what they have done to him.

I know this may sound selfish, but I wanna write this one along with the other two and this, despite it's position in third, because I like this one a lot. Author's privelage! YEAH! But I'll still place the other two above this one for now, seeing as they won. I'm psyched about all of them, though.

**Brothers of Water: 4****th**** place**

NaruXOC SasuXOC Met with mutual understanding, Naruto and Sasuke develop a bond of brotherhood that exists only in true friends, and it walking side-by-side they step towards an incredible adventure!

This will NO BE YAOI! I HATE YAOI! This once came in last, but oh well. That's life, huh?

These fics will have much shorter chapters, like 5,000 words per chapter, possibly more in some cases.

I'd like to personally thank everyone who reviewed, but it's a long list. So, I'll just be answering questions. I'd like to thank all who've given me helpful support; that's the reason why I got off my lazy ass and punched out another chapter after reading those about a week ago.

**IncandescentOne: **Oh yeah, that strength is evil, and I think if you know where Cloud comes from you can guess what it is. Right now, it's still uncontrolled. In the next couple chapters, Naruto will train to maintain a certain level of control over the power.

**BooTheGhost**: Maybe I am. Who knows. The other ones will be shorter, probably about 20 chapters at 5,000 words per chapter. Anyways, thanks for your support!

**Got-Ramen**: Were you right? If you were, congratulations. Now, if you want to make some further inferences, you'll find out why Naruto was trying to escape so bad, or rather, that other being inside of him.

**Vegeta the 3rd**: Yup, your right about the science-fiction aspect to Unit-P-X-001. I'm surprised. I didn't think I put many clues into it. And about 'A New Cause' by MystikD109, I read that too. Great fic. I don't think I can meet his standards, but I got a pretty interesting plot planned out for it. And I too regret leaving the Gaara and Lee fight out. I intended to have chapter 8 about the other 5 fights, but it was just too boring to write. And I too agree that those three are bashed too much, considering their circumstances.

**Mizu no Claw**: Wow! I never thought someone would place me as high as Benney (Who I believe is now CodeKyuubi) and Specula (Now Synica I think). Thanks for your support. I'll do my best not to let anyone down with their expectations of future chapters.

**Cloud Light-Feather**: Yeah, you're right. I guess I'll have to work on that. Oh well, my school shoves so much information into my brain that I can't store it all. My head is a mess.

**Novagod**: Yeah, I had that idea too. Trust me, I've imagined that more than once…agh! Oh well. Most will probably be female, and I won't have Yugito be the Nibi. I'm probably going to ignore most of the part 2 stuff, unless it's really relevant.

**hoyt**: Nope, the Yondaime went crazy too. You'll find out the link between him and Naruto in later chapters. Hope that satisfies you!

**G 52 goodman**: Thanks! I've been trying to make it easy to read, but it's hard to keep with that, and I can never tell if I've done a good job at it. I'm a harsh critic, believe me. I understand how nothing like that has happened yet, but I won't just grant him power over a week. There's a reason, and I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results. And also, thanks for the advice of dividing it into sections so it'll be easier to read. I think it worked out well.

**Syaoran-San**: Wow…there are seriously fics that long? …You're probably right, but I'm still gonna make it long and juicy. Thanks for your support!

**TangDoh**: Hehehe…I've got some ideas that I think have never been used in a fic with Naruto before, and some of my own ideas that disagree with popular theory. Trust me, there'll be some more surprises along the way, and the Rasengan will never be the same…

Alright. I think that's all. Expect a prologue for one of my new fics by the end of the weekend, if not then by next weekend.

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


	9. Otherworldly Arts

**The Paths We Walk**

Otherworldly Arts

"We've confirmed it at the lab. The blood belongs to Uzumaki Naruto." The ANBU member said calmly.

Kakashi bowed his head, still staring at the dried blood staining the ground in the forest. "I see…" He looked up, showing no emotion, and looked at the ANBU captain. "So then, do we have any leads on his location?"

"Currently, there have been no signs of a blonde boy in a white robe, in or out of Konoha, but we have sent a squad to place photographs of him in neighboring villages, and we are currently forming a list of suspects."

Kakashi nodded. "Very well. Is there anything else?"

The ANBU nodded. "Yes, we found something strange. A small rounded cone on a cylinder, no longer or wider than a finger joint, made of metal. It was found nearby buried into the ground, almost as if someone had thrown it with such force that it embedded itself deep into the ground." The ANBU held out a clear bag, containing a small metal item of that description.

Kakashi leaned in for a closer look. There was still some dirt on it, but the metal was still shiny, and looked new. Kakashi nodded. "Thanks. Please continue with your investigation."

"Yes sir!" The ANBU squad vanished to perform other duties for the investigation, leaving Kakashi and the Hokage to stare at the crime scene.

The Hokage turned to Kakashi. "Do you have any idea why Naruto would come out here at this time of night?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, but with all the things that have been happening recently, it's hard to follow. Though, there is something you should know."

The Hokage nodded. "Are you going to tell me why you didn't offer to train Naruto?"

"Well, yes, but before you say it, it wasn't only for Sasuke. Someone else offered to train him for me. He claims to know what's happening to Naruto."

"Claimed? Are you telling me you let him train a Konoha ninja without him revealing anything or offering any proof of his ability to understand the situation?"

Kakashi raised his head. "He offered the proof of trust. He tracked you, yet even avoided your detection." The Hokage raised an eyebrow. "So, if he had any evil wishes, he could have easily performed them without alerting us it was him, and he also came to me asking permission. I was out of options, and I wanted to get Naruto help, so I accepted."

"Kakashi, what would make you do something like that? It's unlike you to be so trusting of others with your students."

Kakashi shifted his gaze, looking at the blood. "He told me about the mark, and how it could be fatal. He said he could cure it…"

"Do you suppose he did this?"

"No, I don't. For one thing, he was alone, but this shows signs of a duo. There are three sets of footprints. Second, he gave off no negative aura, or one meant to fool me. I did what I thought was best." He paused, before continuing. "He promised he'd have him back in time for the finals. Maybe he rescued Naruto from this."

The Hokage sighed and turned around. "Well then Kakashi, I hope your theory is correct. For now, perhaps all we can do is wait and see." The Hokage walked off, having other matters to concern himself with.

Kakashi nodded and walked away as well. 'I have to get back to Sasuke anyways. He'll get impatient if I make him wait too long.' He took one last look at the blood. 'Naruto, you better not be dead. I don't want to have someone else close to me die again.' With that, he left the forest, heading back to the cliffs, and a fuming Sasuke.

"Hey Cloud, where are we going?" Naruto asked as they walked down the stairs.

Cloud looked over his shoulder. "We're going to talk to Reeve. He was the man in the office room just now." Cloud walked ahead of Naruto, carrying both their swords. Naruto looked at Cloud's sword, noticing it was slightly shorter in length and had several detachable areas. "So are you gonna train me or what?!" Shouted an impatient Naruto.

Cloud nearly went deaf from all the constant yelling. "Sure, just don't damage my hearing, please. Remember this is our base. We're not the only ones here."

"Okay!" Naruto said again. Cloud sighed.

They walked into another room at the end of a long hall on a red carpet, to a finely crafted wooden door. Cloud opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Naruto. The room was filled with light, exposing the vibrant blue walls, and the large bed in the back of the room. Inside stood the man in the long blue coat, who stood up when they entered.

"Ah, Cloud. Have you talked to him yet?"

"Yeah, Reeve, but you should probably tell him the finer details of it. I gotta to talk to Yuffie anyways. I'll be back in a few minutes." Cloud said, and leaving the Buster Blade and taking his own sword, he left the room, waving good-bye. Naruto sat down in a fancy chair and looked that the man.

"Hey…so you're Reeve, right?"

"Yes, and your Naruto Uzumaki. I've read your report."

"I've got a report?!" Naruto gasped.

"Yeah…is it that suprising? Reeve asked, taken aback at the sudden shout.

Naruto pointed accusingly. "YOU HAVE BEEN SPYING ON ME!!"

Reeve searched for words for the situation. "Well…that's one way to put it, but I'd like to call it scouting for talent."

"…That's what ero-sennin said." Naruto said to himself.

"Sorry, I missed that." Reeve said.

"Nothing, nothing…look, why am I here? Something about helping defend the worlds, right? What's going on?"

Reeve looked at him with a serious face. "A little over two months ago, we detected Jenova cell activity coming from an unknown sector, but that sector wasn't anywhere on our world. But Cloud, also having Jenova cells, could sense it, and demanded I search for it. We found it, and it was you in your battle on the bridge."

"Sooo…I have these Jenova cells?" Naruto asked, confused.

Reeve nodded. "Yes, but let's let Cloud explain that later. All that's important now is that you understand this: after we found you, we discovered your world. So, Cloud developed a technique to warp between the worlds, and he found you. After he found you, he observed your behavior, and saw you fit for training to assist us."

"Yeah, I got that much, but why exactly me?"

Reeve smirked, finding this quite fun. "I already said it: you have Jenova cells." Naruto just looked confused. "Those who have Jenova cells have acquired them, usually through SOLDIER training. But you have them, without ever coming in contact with a SOLDIER or another bearing Jenova cells. That's what's strange. However, until we figure that out, let's focus on what's important."

"After doing some background checks, we discovered that you are unique, in more ways than just having the fox demon sealed within you. You also possess other abilities, making you a prime candidate for training. With the discovery of your world, the World Regenisis Organization also needs to establish a base there. You could be the representative, if you wished."

Naruto didn't follow for a second. "…Okay…so I got these cells, and they make me strong, and there are at least two worlds, and you need to help my world too…" Naruto looked ready to rip his hair out.

Reeve saw Naruto couldn't process all of this information at once. "…How about we explain the rest of it later? Listen, for now, I'll just tell you this: we need help. Things are getting violent, and we need someone with your abilities to join us to create a peaceful world, both this one and your own."

"Wait, couldn't you just give the cells to someone else?"

"Well, normally yes, but you have other abilities besides those granted to you by your cells, putting you above all other possible candidates. For now, let's make a deal: you agree to join our cause of preserving the world, and in return, we give you our support, such as tools, equipment, and training facilities."

"Alright!" Naruto shouted, excited. "Hey, what kind of stuff do I get?! Special Kunai? Stealth boots? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

Reeve thought. "Well…we'll get to that when we need to, but when we do, we have far stronger weapons than kunai available to us."

"YES!"

Reev suddenly looked serious. "But you must realize, this isn't a game. This could very well turn to war. If that's the case, you'll be called to fight. The world's future depends on our organization's success."

Naruto stared. He knew this was big. He smirked. "Looks like I'll be able to fulfill my contract with the wolves after all."

Just then, Cloud came back in, placing his giant sword next to the door and walking over to Reeve and Naruto. "So, I take it as you explained it to him?"

Reeve sighed. "Well, as much as I could. He doesn't really get it. It'll take time, or at least until after the SOLDIER procedure."

Naruto cocked his head. "…SODLIER…procedure…?"

Cloud turned to him. "It's the beginning of your training." Cloud walked over to the door and pressed a button, causing the door to open with a swishing sound. "Please wait outside for a minute. I've got something to talk to Reeve about."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, oblivious. "O…kay…but why can't I listen?"

"You'll find out soon." Naruto sighed and walked outside and leaned against a wall, sliding down to the bottom, and the door closed again, leaving Cloud and Reeve alone to talk.

Cloud spoke first. "I'll be taking him to the lower levels for training. Can we get permission to use the special training chamber?"

Reeve nodded. "Of course. Give them my name and they'll give you access."

"Thank you. Are the scientists ready to begin the new procedure they've been researching?"

"Yes. They've been setting up the experiment for a week. All they need is Naruto to begin."

"So the Mako is prepared?"

"Yes, and all is as you've requested."

"Alright, but I hope this works. We haven't tested this procedure yet. But with any luck, the mako and Jenova cells won't take more than two weeks to balance with his body."

"Isn't it dangerous?"

Cloud folded his arms. "A little, but if Naruto wants to grow, it's the best option. I'll oversee it in case anything goes wrong." Cloud grabbed both swords and began to leave, but Reeve interrupted him.

"And there's no need to worry about the village of Leaves. I've requested Reno and Rude be sent to the village to set up a headquarters for monitoring their world. I have made plans for Naruto to stay in the headquarters as well while he lives in Konoha." Reeve took out some papers and handed them to Cloud.

Cloud took them and looked them over. It seemed they were planning on buying some land and building the base. He shifted his gaze back to Reeve. "Just how many steps into this plan are you?"

Reeve smiled. "They're already on their way."

Two men walked through the crowded streets of Konoha, searching for the middle-class area. One had spiky light red hair that he had in a ponytail down his back, wearing goggles on his forehead. He wore a black unbuttoned collared shirt with matching pants, and a white undershirt. He was young, and had twin symmetrical red marks on his cheeks. The man beside him was well-dressed with a suit and tie. He was bald, with a small goatee, and wore black sunglasses. He walked with powerful strides, while the other was a little lanky.

The red-haired man spoke first. "Hey, Rude, where're we going anyway?"

Rude didn't turn, but kept walking. "The middle-class area, near the markets. It's always busy, and people won't suspect anything odd happening in that area with all the daily activity. We were briefed on all this before we left, Reno."

Reno sighed. "I know, I know, but it's just, we need to find a vacant lot, right?" Rude nodded. "Well, this place looks pretty crowded. It'll take a while to find one. Maybe we should rent a hotel."

Both were bumping into people at the crowded market of Konoha, but both just kept going. "That may not be the best idea, we're not exactly dressed…culturally. It may look suspicious."

"Hmph. Yeah, we're setting up a secret base out in the open worth millions of gil, right in the middle of another world, but renting a hotel makes us look veeeeery suspicious." He said sprinkled with sarcasm. He turned to Rude. "Look, I'm not saying we'll need the hotel, but we may be here a while. This place is big, and we're not even sure if this is the main market."

"…At seven, if we still haven't found anything." Rude gave in.

Reno smirked in victory. "I knew you'd see it my w-" _BAM!!_

Three figures crashed into them, one with pink hair and a red dress, one with two honey-brown pigtails behind her head, and one wearing a black jacket with brown hair. The five of them slowly stood up, trying to regain their balance.

"Oww…" The brown-haired boy said. "Oh, sorry about that. Say, have either of you seen a kid with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes? He should be in a white robe."

Reno and Rude looked at each other. "Nope, not that I can think of." Reno replied.

The girl in pigtails replied "Oh, well, nevermind. Sorry about that!"

"Yeah, sorry!" The pink-haired girl replied, before they ran off into the market.

Reno and Rude stood up and dusted themselves off, then turned to each other. "They were talking about that Naruto kid, right?"

Rude nodded. "I believe so. After all, he did disappear from here. They must have known this would affect the village."

Reno shrugged. "Oh well, let's keep moving. Man, being a Turk is tough sometimes." And they walked on.

"Hey hey, Cloud, where're we going anyways?" Naruto jumped in front of Cloud the second he walked out of the room."

Cloud had expected this and thrust Naruto's sword into his chest, causing the small boy to tumble over. "Hey! What was that for?!"

"If you've got the energy to jump around, carry your sword. Consider it the start of your training."

Naruto shook trying to stand, holding his swords on his arms as he staggered after Cloud down the brightly lit steel hall. They walked down the stairs, when Naruto remembered something.

"Wait a minute! That guy shattered my sword!"

Cloud stopped and turned around. "Yeah, and we re-forged it, and added some other suprises."

"And…who did that?"

"A weapon-maker we hired. He added a special attachment to the sword, and added mithril to the metal of the sword."

Naruto didn't understand. "What's mithril?"

"A strong metal, and very light-weight. However, because of the added metal, the sword length has increased by six inches, throwing off your center of balance when you use it."

Naruto cocked his head. "Center of balance?"

Cloud sighed. He had a lot more work ahead of him. "Let's just get to the test center." Cloud turned around and started walking, rubbing his temple in hopes of avoiding the oncoming headache.

Naruto stumbled, still holding his sword. They walked down a flight of stairs, and walked down another steel hallway. Then, they turned a corner, only leading to a steel wall with a small slit in the center. Before Naruto could ask, Cloud pulled out a card and inserted it into the slit and removed it, and the wall began to split apart, just like the sliding doors had before. Cloud guided the panting but amazed Naruto to a brass semi-circle at the end of the exposed hall, and had a seam separating it from the floor.

Naruto stared. It was like a work of art. "Cloud, what's that thing?"

Cloud smirked, amused at Naruto's cluelessness. "It's an elevator. We use it to travel higher or lower in the base, like stairs, but they save energy and are faster than walking."

Naruto's eyed brightened. "Amazing! This really is a different world!"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, but that brings about another question." Cloud punched in a code on the number pad, and the elevator started to descend, much to Naruto's amazement. He didn't even hear Cloud's comment.

"Oh wow! We're moving! We're actually moving!" Naruto's eyes shined with excitement. He looked at everything, from the panel to the supports, and at the walls that kept going up as they went down. Naruto looked up at Cloud. "Where's this thing going?"

Cloud looked up, drawn out of thinking. "This is a private lift. It's taking us down into a special part of the base, especially designed for our type of training."

"AWESOME!"

Cloud smirked. "You'll love it, trust me." He added with a bit of sarcasm.

The elevator continued to descend for a minute longer, before it came to a sudden stop, causing Naruto to tumble over form the sudden stop. "Woah!" His sword didn't make the fall any easier.

Cloud just stared. "…Get up. We're expected in the Mako injection chamber."

Naruto looked up from the ground. "Mako…?"

"Oh yeah, you don't know yet. Oh well, it's down the hall." Naruto looked around, and there was only one very long hall filled with lights. Naruto stood up, leaving his sword on the ground, and picking it up when he stood up again. Cloud turned around and walked down the hall, with Naruto hurrying after him. They walked for about a minute before reaching the door.

Naruto turned to Cloud. "Hey, spiky, why's the room so long only to reach a door?"

Cloud flinched. First Barret, then Yuffie, and now this brat gave him the nickname. Was his hair that distinctive? "If any unwelcome guests made it down here, they'd have a fun time getting through this hallway unscathed."

Naruto froze, not wanting to know what kind of thing this technology could do to someone. The Mako room must be valuable.

Cloud walked up to the door and inserted the same card, but the door didn't slide open. A small slit opened in the wall, revealing a small circle, and as Cloud stepped up to it, a bright light shined over Cloud's eye. "_Identity Confirmed._" Came a soft female voice from somewhere above, and the door unlocked.

"Spiky…what was that?"

"Cornea scan. It's the only way to confirm identity with complete security. We use it on all high-security areas of the base." Cloud explained. He reached out and turned the door handle, leading Naruto inside. Naruto turned sideways to get in with his sword, and once he was in, he dropped his sword, along with his jaw.

The room was big, at least the size of two classrooms at the Ninja Academy. There were at least a half-dozen scientists in white lab robes working in the lab, taking notes or sitting at a screen typing on a board. The walls were all lined with screens showing numbers and symbols and pictures, and in the center there was a giant tube filled with clear blue liquid like lake-water, connected to several giant tubes on top of it, leading to the ceiling and to the machines.

One of the scientists walked up to Cloud. He had black hair and a notebook in his hand. "Ah, Cloud. We've been waiting for you." He looked at Naruto. "Is this the boy?"

Cloud nodded. "Yes. I believe Reeve sent you a message?"

The man nodded. "Yes, and we're almost prepared for the procedure."

Naruto was brought out of his excitement when he heard that. "Wait…ARE YOU GONNA EXPERIMENT ON ME?!"

A few notepads and a beaker were dropped when he yelled. "…"

The scientist stared. He'd seen SOLDIER experiments done, but he'd never seen a recruit so…loud. "Well, you could say that…but-"

Naruto crossed his arms, his sword still on the ground, and shook his head violently. "Uh-uh! No way! Not gonna happen! I'm not a lab monkey!"

Cloud thought this would happen, and had planned for it. "If you go through it, you could get stronger than Sasuke, and maybe even Kakashi."

Naruto flip-slopped. "…Fine, but you not do anything freaky, like a third arm or something!"

"Well, if you really wanted one…" The scientist joked.

"NO!"

The man raised his hands in defense. "I'm only joking." Naruto still looked ticked off.

Cloud smirked. "If you got the chance, you'd try anything."

"…" The scientist sighed. Then, he raised his head to meet Naruto's eyes. "Well, perhaps I should introduce myself. I'm professor Victor, and I'll be in charge of the SOLDIER procedure."

Naruto stared. "…WHAT IS ALL THIS STUFF?!" He shouted, causing more things to break. "MAKO, SLIDING DOORS, PROCEDURES, SOLDIER, WHAT IS IT ALL?!"

Cloud ran up behind him and covered his mouth. Naruto struggled to get out, but couldn't escape. "Fine, we'll tell you, but just stay quiet, okay?" Naruto nodded, and Cloud released him. "Good." He turned to professor Victor. "You'll be better at explaining it to him than me."

Professor Victor nodded, and held out a needle. "First, hold out your arm." Naruto obeyed dumbly and Victor stuck it in, injecting the contents into Naruto's bloodstream. "

Naruto didn't feel anything. "I don't get it. What was that stuff?"

Victor was applying something to the area where he stuck the needle in. "A sleeping formula. It puts you to sleep, but takes some time to take affect. I'll explain these things while we wait."

"Sooo…I gotta go back to sleep?"

Victor nodded. "Yes. It's the safest way to begin the SOLDIER procedure. Now, take this." He handed Naruto a pill, and told Naruto to eat it. Naruto ate it, and Victor handed him a glass of water to wash it down.

"Well, I'd better start explaining. Let's start with Mako. Mako is spiritual energy from inside the planet that rises to the surface and condenses into a liquid. You can see it in the giant tube over there." Naruto looked again and saw the same clear-blue liquid. "Once you fall asleep, you'll be placed in that, and that will control the Jenova cells inside of you." Naruto made a move to shout, but Cloud covered his mouth.

"Jenova cells come from an ancient calamity that fell from the sky, an alien would be the common word. By having cell inside of you, you gain some of Jenova's strength and his abilities. That's it, at least as simply as I can put it. But that's what's odd. Noarmally, the cells are injected while inside the Mako chamber, but you've somehow obtained them. The most probable scenario is that you came in contact with the lifestream, and the lifestream passed the cells onto you. But that doesn't explain the eye, or how the demon fox inside of you has been protecting you all of your life."

"Finally, the SOLDIER procedure. The SOLDIER procedure normally begins by injecting Jenova cells into specific areas of the body, but your body has already absorbed Jenova cells, somehow. Now, after the cells have been injected, the SOLDIER candidate is placed inside a test tube filled with Mako, and the Mako is infused with the body. The Mako acts within the body to control the Jenova cells, and grants certain effects as well. If there was no Mako, the cells could overtake your consciousness and reach their full potential. The Mako avoids complete control, and grants you a certain percentage of the cell's power, greatly increasing physical, cognitive, and overall performance."

Naruto finally broke free of Cloud's grip. "So I got an alien inside me?!"

Victor scratched his head in frustration. "Well, you could put it that way, but it's only some cells, not the alien itself."

Naruto folded his arms and nodded, trying to think. "Okay, I get that, but if I already have these cell things, why haven't I become more powerful already?"

Victor continued. "Well, it has. Do you remember feeling stronger when you needed it, like in the forest fighting the snake?" Naruto nodded. "At those times, your body released some of the power for a short time along with the fox's, only as long as necessary. The longer you use it, the more strain it puts on yourself without Mako, so you could only use it in short bursts securely. Then, there have been times where you completely lost control, and used 100 of Jenova's energy, but by sacrificing control over the power. I'm sure you remember that." Naruto dropped his gaze, ashamed at what he'd done. Victor saw this, and tried to cheer him up. "But that wasn't anything you could control. We can fix that."

Cloud walked up to Naruto and placed an arm on his shoulder. "Naruto, I need you to do something for me. Please, show me your right arm." Naruto stared. He'd completely forgotten about it. He hadn't even looked at it when he got out of the test tube. Slowly, he raised his right arm and for the first time in a week took a good look, and gasped. It was a graying mark, spread all across the upper part of his arm. Cloud nodded. "I thought so. Geostigma. Luckily, we have a cure."

Naruto looked up at Cloud. "What's Geostigma?"

"It's the result of the body fighting to hard to rid itself of Jenova cells, eventually resulting in its own destruction. Normally it's fatal." Naruto froze. "The signs are the grey, dead skin spreading, eyes having a glazed over, almost possessed look to them, hallucinations, large amounts of black pus, and rapid, sharp pain. I've seen you experience each of these."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah…that vision…it seemed so real I could feel it." He looked up. "Were those two people real?"

Cloud shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe, and maybe not, there are too few cases to observe in today's world. I had Geostigma once, and it did seem real, and maybe it was. But, back to more important things: we have a cure, mixed with the Mako."

Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Whew. That's good to hear." Suddenly, Naruto thought of something else. "Wait! How long will this take?" Suddenly, Naruto was starting to feel sleepy.

Cloud thought. "Well, it used to take at least two years to-"

"HEY! I AIN'T GOT TWO YEARS-" Cloud shoved his hand over Naruto's mouth, shutting him up.

"I said _used_ to. This new procedure, if done correctly, should only take about two weeks. Then, we can train you in SOLDIER arts. This is because the Jenova cells have already settled inside your body." Cloud was getting tired of this already.

Naruto's eyes brightened with excitement. "So I get to learn that warp thing like you?!" Naruto was jumping up and down like a kid with an all-you-can-eat pass to a candy store.

"Uhh…yeah, once you get to that level, but first you've got to get in the tube."

Victor had one more important thing to say. "There's one more thing: we did some experiments on you while you were recovering." Naruto would have shouted, but Cloud, on reflex, covered his mouth. "You've got some illusion spells placed on you. We'll remove those during your procedure."

Naruto was allowed to speak. "Wait, if I got illusions on me, why hasn't anyone in Konoha noticed?"

Victor nodded. "Yes, that's a good question. The most logical explanation is that they're not ninja arts, or that you received them to hide yourself from enemies. We'll release them, though I doubt it's anything life-changing. Possibly just some illusion to slightly alter your appearance."

"O…kay…" Naruto didn't get it that well. Then again, he was having a hard time absorbing all this at once.

Cloud turned to Victor. "Have your men ge-" He was interrupted by a giant yawn coming from Naruto. Both looked at him, noticing he was starting to sway back and forth. "Well, the pill finally took effect."

Victor nodded. "Yes, and my colleagues have already fetched the necessary equipment. We're all ready to begin the procedure."

Cloud nodded. "Alright. Naruto, just let yourself fall asleep."

Naruto's eyes drooped, but stayed halfway open. "Why? Wuz gonna happen?" He started slurring his words before yawning again, before falling flat on his back with a loud _thud!_

Cloud stared. He didn't think it would be so instantaneous. He looked over at the professor. "…Just how much of the stuff was in that capsule?"

Victor tried to laugh it off, but failed miserably. "Ahahahaha…enough to knock out an elephant…?" Cloud twitched. He'd had that much once, and to say the least, it wasn't exactly a pleasant sleep.

Victor tried to defend himself. "Well, I was going to give him a lighter dose, but seeing as how he was so hyperactive…well…I figured this would be more efficient…"

Cloud smacked his head. This was going to be hard enough, but he let it go. "Fine. Just get him in the capsule, and check his vambraces for their properties. I want a full analysis on all abilities and equipment. I'm going to go have the defense designers prepare Naruto's new outfit." Cloud walked out, heading to the medical room for some aspirin.

Victor, on the other hand, got to work with two other scientists and removed his vambraces, leaving him in the outfit, and hooked up various tubes to Naruto, one attached to his mouth for breathing, a needle placed into his stomach to feed him a liquid paste, and attached a monitor collar around his neck. Then, they placed him in the tube by opening the top, and attaching all the chords to their proper outlet. Once he was locked in, they began the SOLDIER procedure, and the transformation began.

Hotaka, Michiko, and Yoko sighed. They were leaving the village for special training with their sensei. Today was their last day before they left on their ten-week training session. That wasn't so bad, but suddenly Sasuke and Naruto had gone missing, and their sensei wouldn't say a word about it they were waiting outside the gate for Ryuunosuke while he finished up some paper work.

Michiko turned to Yoko. "So, ya know where we're going? I heard we got permission to go to earth country."

Yoko shook her head. "No, Konoha is still on bad terms with the earth nation. They wouldn't let us go there. If we did leave fire country, we'd probably head to one of our neighboring nations."

Michiko nodded. "Yeah. We're probably gonna have to do something while we leave. It's not every day a team gets special permission to leave for training only."

Hotaka agreed. "Yeah. I heard a rumor while in the Hokage tower. Apparently, Sasuke may have been granted training outside of Konoha as well, and I heard the same rumor about team Asuma. They're only rumors, of course."

Michiko sighed. "Well, that would be expected from team Asuma. They're not too strong, and that would explain Sasuke's sudden disappearance, but has anyone heard about what happened to Naruto?" Michiko asked. Yoko shook her head.

Hotaka sighed and looked at the sky. "All we know is what's already been released: Naruto vanished from the hospital about a week ago, and anything else is classified. I'd guess he's either with an elite trainer, whose whereabouts have to be classified, or he got involved in something secret. I guess we'll just have to wait."

Yoko sensed the mood and tried to change the subject. "So, you guys know why we gotta leave the village? What kind of training are we performing?"

Michiko thought. "Wasn't it going to be some foreign arts?" She folded her arms and nodded, grinning. "Yup, that's it! We'll buy some new scrolls and train with foreign senseis! Yup, it all makes sense."

Hotaka shook his head. "No it doesn't. We wouldn't just leave the village to train. The Hokage's never been that lenient. It has to have another motive behind it." Michiko's head drooped.

Yoko thought, before snapping to attention. "I think…we may be bringing back what we learned. Konoha is always looking to add new ninjutsu to its library."

Hotaka nodded in agreement. "It would, but we can't let that be the end of our assumptions. I'm sure there would be other reasons."

"Then perhaps a spy mission?"

"They wouldn't send a genin group out to spy on a high-level mission, and since it's training time for the Chunin exam, they would send another team to let us train if it was a low-to-mid level mission. It's got to be something else." Hotaka said with his serious expression.

Michiko, already embarrassed at forgetting such a major detail, was getting annoyed at being left out. "Look, let's just forget about it until Ryuunosuke-sensei comes back, alright?" She fumed.

"Well well, as curious as ever, huh guys?" Ryuunosuke dropped down from on top of the gates, right in between the three of them. He had his usual outfit on, with a backpack over his shoulders. "Alright, let's go." And with that, he left, leaving his students scrambling to pick up their packs and lunches and chase after him.

"So sensei, what're we doing?" Michiko asked excitedly.

Ryuunosuke smiled. "Training, what else?"

Yoko shook her head. "It's more than that, you know we've already figured that out."

Hotaka nodded in agreement. "So, what's our mission?"

Ryuunosuke grinned evilly. "That, my students, is a secret." He chuckled lowly, sending the three genin the message that they had an interesting journey ahead of them.

"Breathing rate: 11 bpm. Heartbeat: stable. All conditions stable. No mutations present. Moving on to the next step of the project." A female voice spoke over the loudspeaker. The scientists were going about their various works when Cloud entered again.

Victor quit taking notes and walked over to Cloud. "Ah, back again, are we? Everything's going fine. In fact, the Mako injection is going half-a-day ahead of schedule. He should be done in four days time."

Cloud nodded and smirked. "Excellent. I should have expected such results from head of the scientific department." Victor grinned slightly from embarrassment, before continuing.

"We should continue. We're ahead of schedule, but it's already been five days. Have you decided on a training regime?"

Cloud shook his head. "Not yet. I've thought of some teaching styles, but nothing's final."

Victor nodded. "Alright, we still have time to decide. The special training area's already set up and closed off to the public. All preparations are nearly complete. We await your arrival to begin training."

Cloud nodded. "And who's in charge of the training grounds?"

"I'm not sure, but I heard Professor Martha Scott may have something to do with the training facility."

Cloud turned his head, clearly confused. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe I've heard of her."

Victor smiled. "Oh well, that's no surprise. She's just recently moved up. She's an expert in Materia secondary uses and Mako properties, and I believe she's also had experience with time-space studies, but that's all I've heard."

Cloud sighed. "That's a lot more than I know. If she's as good as you say she is, there may be some hope left for us."

Just then, the door behind them opened, the swooshing sound filling their ears. They turned, and saw their supplier.

"Rufus, what're you doing here?" Cloud asked, not entirely pleased with his presence. Rufus was wearing his traditional white suit, and wearing a black undershirt. He had blonde hair and looked young, yet stern.

"I'm the one funding this organization. I find it fine for me to see that my donations are being put to good use." Rufus stepped up beside Cloud, and observed Naruto as he floated in the test tube of glowing blue Mako. "So this is the boy…"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, he'll be done in a few more days. Then we'll proceed to step 2."

"Professor Victor, I need you to look at these results." Another scientist said from across the room. Victor nodded and bid them farewell, leaving Cloud and Rufus to converse.

"You still don't trust me?" Rufus asked, turning to Cloud.

"Not a bit." Cloud said coldly.

Rufus sighed. He'd expected this. "Well, I can't say I blame you. After how-"

"How you planned to rule by fear? How you tried to revive Shinra!? How you-" Cloud stopped, trying to calm down. That'd come down a little harder than he wanted. "I'm…sorry. I didn't mean-"

Rufus interrupeted, shaking his head. "No, it's alright. Trust is difficult to obtain, and easy to lose. I'm the one who should be asking for forgiveness."

"But you're the one who's trying to earn it. You've funded our entire organization, even this."

Rufus nodded, eyes still on the tube. "Merely repaying the debt I owe to the planet." He turned to Cloud, to meet his gaze. "Do you plan on continuing to call this program SOLDIER?"

"Is it up to me?" Cloud questioned.

Rufus gave a slight shrug. "If you'd like. People equate SOLDIERs with Shinra, which people tend to hold a grudge against in our time. It may be best to begin anew."

"Why?"

Rufus reached into his suit, pulling out a file marked '_Soldier' _"When Shinra still reigned, SOLDIERs were a symbol of hope and security to the people, and an inspiration for troops on the battlefield. To their enemies, they were monsters, yet kind-hearted heroes to all else. If our organization plans to succeed, we need heroes like those, like Angeal…like Zack."

Cloud went silent, giving his late friend some thought. Rufus stopped conversing for a moment, sensing the soft spot he'd hit.

After a minute, Rufus decided to snap Cloud out of it with a change of subject. "What kind of training do you have in mind?"

Cloud looked up in surprise, acknowledging Rufus and introduced his plan. "First we have to teach him to concentrate, and control the Jenova cell's power. Then, I'll make him completely relearn hand-to-hand combat, and some sword fighting, and his sword's new functions. Then, if we get to it I'll teach him limit breaks, and finally I'll give him his final exam. If he passes, he'll be initiated. Nothing's final, but that's what I've got planned for now. If he succeeds, I'll give him some materia."

Rufus nodded. "That's quite a schedule. Then again, with our new invention, three months is all you'll need." He was met with more silence as they watched the tube. Naruto wasn't moving, his body floating freely in the tube. He looked so calm, a small true smile gracing his face.

"The Mako seems to comfort him." Cloud commented.

Rufus agreed. "Yes. Rare, when you think about it. Not many SOLDIERs enjoyed the Mako injection. Perhaps the Mako selection process improvement was worth researching after all."

Cloud nodded on reflex, before realizing he was still talking, and commented. "I wonder why he's under an illusion."

Rufus had been thinking about it as well. "Maybe it was for his protection. If someone noticed the resemblance, who knows what fate may have befallen him?"

Cloud was only half-listening. He was still looking at Naruto, smiling himself. "He looks just like him, same face, hairstyle, his body, and if it wasn't for the stigma, even his eyes have the same happy gleam.

"I thought they resembled his mothers, or perhaps only when showing deeper emotions."

Cloud gave Rufus a suspicious look. "And how would you know that?"

"I saw some pictures." Rufus said in his defense.

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "So, you've ready his report?"

Rufus was silent, before asking "Do you really think this kid can be trained in the SOLDIER arts? Even the Shinra company never experimented with children so young."

Cloud signed. "I don't know anything. All I can do is try."

"Then what do you believe?"

Cloud looked back up at Naruto's unconscious form. He watched his body float up and down, and watched the geostigma slowly lighten back to his normal skin color. He watched the illusion on his body slowly being released. It was powerful, probably his mother's work. "What I believe…" He searched for the words. "Well, who knows? No one's never trained someone in SOLDIER quite like him. For now, lets just have him act as a representative of the W.R.O."

Rufus nodded in agreement. "If his report's accurate, I'd say we're in for some fun."

Cloud sighed. "I just hope surgery goes well." He turned to Cloud. "Ah. I just remembered. Our sage finished purifying your sword. They're ready to carve the runes. You've been invited to observe the ritual."

Cloud turned, shocked. "Well, that's unexpected. Do they normally allow people to watch?"

Rufus shook his head. "No, it's a great honor. I suggest you not let it go to waste."

Cloud nodded in agreement and turned to leave. "Alright, I'll admit I'm curious. Rituals like this are very sheltered. And…I'm sorry about lashing out before…" Cloud stopped, deciding to leave Rufus alone. He turned and left, heading out the door towards the elevator.

Rufus waved over his shoulder, losing himself to thought. '_If he really does hold a portion of that power, he'll surpass even Cloud, and perhaps even Angeal._'

Neither of them knew it, but Naruto was still drifting in and out of conciousness, despite the sleeping pill. His eyes slivered open, just forming a small slit, watching the two converse for under a minute, before drifting back into dreams. He didn't know what they had planned, or what he would face. All he cared about was the soft hand he felt sliding across his cheek, and the feeling of another lovingly on his shoulder.

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"_For perhaps the first time in my life, I truly felt calm and at peace. I smelled flowers, and the tube was cool. I didn't know what Cloud and Rufus were talking about, and I didn't care. I was happier than the time I passed the genin exam, when I was accepted into the academy, or even when Sasuke said he wanted to fight me. At that moment, it was all about me. No Sasuke to get the attention, no fangirls to get in the way, no disease to make me sad. For the first time it was all about me, and I liked it."_

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"We did it, Reeve!" Reno announced enthusiastically. After over a week of searching through Konoha, they found a place that had just gone on sale. It was the size of an average hotel complex, about eighty feet across and fifty feet back. It was slightly larger than what was wanted, but it would work.

Rude nodded. "It's perfect. The only problem is the village won't allow buildings over a hundred and ten feet with these dimensions."

"Then we'll go lower." Reno smirked. Rude just shook his head at his friend's antics as they walked inside. It was a small spring, placed right over a small spring line. It was an old hotel with the hot spring as a bonus attraction, but it was going out of business to the major Konoha hot spring. They walked inside and saw people taking things down. The man standing at the desk looked up when they entered, and walked around the desk to greet them. He was balding, and wore an aqua bath robe. He looked like he was making last-minute use of the hot springs.

He walked up to them with a small smile. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. How may I help you today?"

Reno decided to speak for the two of them. "Hello, my good man. We're interested in purchasing your facilities. Mind taking us to the owner?"

The man nodded with a smile. "Of course. I'll go fetch him for you two. Please, wait right here." The man walked into the back room. Reno and Rude took the time to admire the lobby. It was pretty nice, with traditional wooden walls and sliding doors. The lights were shining through small glass panels. There were a few bonsai trees on the tables, adding to the calm atmosphere.

Rude just shook his head. "Nice place. A shame we're gonna demolish it."

"Well, we may be able to sneak in a few hours of relaxation before we report?" Reno suggested. Rude shook his head at the suggestion, but hid his grin, but that didn't stop Reno. "Haha! Victory!"

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, but snapped them shut at the blinding light. He could see the red through his eyelids, and waited for his eyes to adjust. Slowly, he opened his right eye, but kept his left shut until it adjusted. After a minute both eyes were open and taking in his surroundings.

He was in a hospital bed, once again in something white, but it wasn't a robe. It was soft and gentle, pleasant on the skin. It felt like it was floating, as compared to the heavier hospital robes from Konoha. His head was completely wrapped in a bandage, completely covering his forehead and above, and the sides of it, leaving only his face visible. He tried to sit up, but felt a sharp pain in all the muscles he tried to use. He opted for just lying down, staring at the ceiling. "I hate this ceiling…"

"Well, finally awake? You look like a mummy." Said Cloud sitting next to him. Naruto rose with a start, only to fall back down with a yelp. Cloud shook his head. "I'd not advise that. You just got out of surgery an hour ago."

"…Surgery…?" Naruto asked. "When did I have surgery? Why?" He said lowly. It hurt to talk.

"A new part of the SOLDIER procedure. Wanna know what we did?" Cloud asked him. Naruto nodded, freeing a grunt, and Cloud continued. "Some things to enhance your body's performance. Nothing huge or anything, but a few small things. For one thing, your fingers." Naruto looked at his hands, and Cloud continued. "Usually, the ring and pinky fingers are connected by a few nerves, so if you move one, you move the other as well, if only slightly. We altered that for better hand control. They also injected chemicals to strengthen your bones, and added specific vitamins to increase eye strength, ear strength, and other senses."

Cloud stopped, watching as Naruto looked about ready to puke. "Well, you get the idea. It had some…painful after effects, to say the least, but you seem to have overcome the dangers of the SOLDIER Mako injection, and your recovery is going well."

"What dangers?" Naruto asked.

"…Mako poisoning, but you're out of that danger."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, or as well as he could. "What's that?"

"It's when your body is actually overcome by the Mako, and you lose your identity."

"How can it do that?" Naruto asked.

Cloud went silent. He would have said more, but thought it better to save his talk of the Lifestream for later. "A longer story for a later date. For now, here."

He tossed a datapad at Naruto, which fell on his chest. "YEOW!" Naruto screeched, feeling the small item fall on his chest, still very sensitive.

"Read that." Cloud told Naruto. Naruto picked it up, not knowing what to do. Cloud's head sank. He forgot that Naruto didn't have any idea what this stuff was. "It's a datapad. Activate it with the button on the side, and it uses a touch-screen. Just touch the screen at the bottom to scroll down, and at the top to scroll up. You'll be increasing your knowledge for today. Study, and learn. Touch the screen to decide on subjects you wish to study. Everything else, you can figure out. Got all that?" Naruto nodded, much to Cloud's relief. "Good, the operation was a complete success."

"I don't understand…" Naruto started, before coming to realization. "Wait! You said something about my cognitive abilities."

Cloud nodded, smiling slightly. "Yes. All of your cognitive abilities should have been enhanced, including thought speed, memory and awareness."

Naruto smiled. "So…I'm smarter?"

Cloud shook his head. "No." Naruto sighed. "What all that means is you can learn faster. Start with that. When you manage to finish memorizing what is already there, it will unlock the second archive of information. It will test you along the way. And if you complete that, you unlock the fun stuff, like battle formations and strategies, and how your future weapons work. Read that while in recovery." Naruto's eyes lit up, back to their usual sparkling blue, if not clearer and brighter, and he started up the datapad, his eyes darting in amazement at the technology. Of course, he yelped as he moved in such excitement, opting to move his bandaged hands slowly across the screen.

Cloud gave a small smile, and left Naruto to himself. He knew tempting him with something involving battle would be a good way to get him to learn the basics. Not that simple math and science wouldn't help him on his later missions. He left the small white hospital room, closing the curtains, and exited. The moment he closed the door and turned around, he met a pair of deep brown eyes.

"Hey Cloud." Tifa said happily. She was wearing her normal black outfit, and her pink ribbon on upper left arm. She had long brown hair, and was smiling. "So, how's he doing?"

"Okay, just a little bit of pain. Can you do me a favor and have the doctors give him some morphine to numb the pain?" Cloud asked.

Tifa nodded happily. "Okay, I'll tell the doctors on my way out. So, are you heading to the training grounds tomorrow?"

"Yeah. It's the ravine of the ancient last stand. It's secluded, and has all four elements nearby for practice. There's also a giant ravine nearby for the…final exam." Cloud gave a small evil grin. Tifa went silent. Cloud rarely gave expressions like that, and the last time he did, he wiped out a vital enemy terrorist communications relay. It had been a great victory for the W.R.O, but still, Tifa didn't like that look.

"Uhh…okay. You should go try to set that up with Reeve. He'll get you some transportation to the lake. I believe the training area is prepared and awaiting your arrival tomorrow."

Cloud nodded in agreement. "Good idea, and thanks for the update. I'll see what Reeve has for us. See you later Tifa."

Cloud left, leaving Tifa outside the door. She sighed. Ever since this all started, Cloud had been different. She already knew Naruto was like Cloud in a lot of ways, but still, Cloud has become so focused on him that he was beginning to ignore them. They always had to come to him to talk, and then he'd find an excuse to go concern himself with Naruto's plan. She had a theory, but that's all it was. She'd shared it with a few others, and they all agreed. They had to force him to take a break, and they had to do it fast.

"Aw man. Do we have to do it already?" Reno whined.

Rude nodded sadly. "Yes. The paperwork's done, and it's all set up. We do have our orders, and that we can't change."

Reno sighed. "Come on, we can relax for one more hour."

"Reno…no" Rude said to both Reno and himself. Reno sighed, and looked at the man in front of them and nodded. He nodded and turned around, looking at his fellow workers.

"Alright, blow it up." _BAM!!! _The old hot springs came crashing down after the supports broke in a pile of smoke and dust, leaving only a pile of rubble cloaked in thick smoke. Reno watched the scene, frowning as the comfy resort hit the ground. Rude didn't express his thoughts, but he shared his partner's opinion.

After the smoke was clear and the rubble could be seen, the man in charge ordered his workers to begin clearing out the rubble, with some hired ninjas using elemental jutsus to break down the larger pieces. The head worker turned back to Reno and Rude. "Alright, so are you sure you don't want to hire the Konoha building corporation to construct your facilities?"

Reno nodded. "Yeah, we're sure. We've already hired some out-of-towners to do the work. They're very efficient. It'll be up before you know it." Reno said trying his best to smile.

"Normally, those are our lines. Very well. If you change your mind, go ahead and contact us. We'll get you in touch with them. Have a nice day." The man said, leaving to go instruct the workers. Rude turned to Reno. "Does this area meet specifications?"

"Yeah; it's a little big, but that's nothing. They even said they've built in some hot spring baths in it. Damn that kid is lucky." Reno said jealously. He and Rude has been enjoying the hot springs when the hot springs arrived, and they knew they'd miss the free on-work vacation.

"You're right, but he's not the only one who'll be living there. I heard a rumor that Victor, Ashley, and Roland will be moving in with him." Rude told Reno.

Reno sighed deeply. "Great. They get the sweet life while we get stuck on the dirt road. Man, this job sucks sometimes."

Rude quickly slapped Reno across the head, keeping his own composure. "Be serious, Reno. Their job is just as important as ours. Don't forget that all of them have a special task to perform while staying in the village."

Reno nodded, rubbing the back of his head where he was hit. "Yeah yeah. I got it. So, when're they moving the house through the lifestream?"

"About three at night, by the village's time. We have to keep all others out of this general area. Tseng and Elena are arriving later to help us with that, and then they're heading to lightning village to guard some geographers."

Reno's eyes widened. "Oh yeah. We gotta guard that geographer guy going to the sand village after this, right?"

Rude nodded, turning to confirm that the workers were still removing the rubble. "Yes, and Ashley should be arriving to keep an eye on the building and finish all the appliance work in the house."

Reno put a hand on his chin in thought. "Oh. So Ashley's an electrician too? I thought she was only a mechanic." Suddenly his eyes were filled with hearts, with birds chirping in the distance. "Great, because I need someone to power up my lonely heart!"

Rude sighed. "She'll never say yes. You've asked her how many times?"

"Only six."

"And she rejects you at every turn. Reno, it's time to move on."

Reno just shrugged it off. "Whatever."

Naruto way laying in his bed, actually trying to learn whatever information the datapad had to offer. It sort of reminded him of a video game, and if he thought of it like that, it was easier to keep studying. Once he chose a subject, in order to choose another one he had to pass a test of the information in the area he chose, like a boss in a video game. He could even go back and relearn sections he already passed. If he thought about it like that, it was easier not to get bored, and then there was the battle information in the third set.

The odd thing was he actually remembered the things he learned. Long division, ionic and covalent bonding of atoms, geology, elements, and even some famous poems. He even memorized some proverbs offered in one of the sections. His favorites were 'The girl who can't dance says the band can't play,' and 'The man who strikes first admits that his ideas have given out,' 'The wolf loses his teeth, but not his inclinations,' but his favorite was 'Tomorrow is a new day.' Simple, but fitting.

Naruto had had morphine put in yesterday, but after some healers arrived to assist in the healing process he didn't need it anymore. His wounds had recovered nicely, and soon he could begin training. That was a relief, considering it'd almost been a month since the preliminaries.

Naruto was about to move on to definitions when Cloud stepped back in. "Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself. You make any progress?"

"Yeah! So when do I get to learn about the new weapons and stuff?"

"Patience. It'll take some time to heal from the surgery. So, we're taking you to a place to speed up the healing, literally."

"Huh? Where?!" Naruto asked, excited about being outdoors again. He was tired of laying in a hospital bed.

"Well, you'll have to get into that wheelchair." Cloud pointed at the chair. Naruto stared. It was a metal wheelchair with cushions for a seat, and a small stick with a ball on top on the right hand-rest.

Naruto pointed to the small joystick on the right, not experiencing as much pain as before. "What's that for?"

Cloud put his hand on the joystick and pushed it forward, and to Naruto's amazement the chair moved followed in suit. "It's electric, and can be moved by using the joystick. I'll be pushing you around until you get used to using it."

Naruto shook his head. "I can handle it by myself. It can't be that hard to point a stick where you want to go."

Cloud was hesitant, but allowed him. "Alright, I'll allow it. But first, I've got something of yours." Cloud reached into the bag behind the wheelchair and pulled out Naruto's gift from Kakashi: the Yondaime's vambraces.

"Ah! I was wondering where those were. Thanks spiky!"

Cloud sighed. "Please, let's keep it Cloud."

"Why?"

"Because I already got two people calling me spiky. I don't need a third. Besides, we'll be spending a lot of time together in the near future. I'd rather avoid spending all my money on aspirin."

"Alright." Naruto sighed. "You're no fun."

Cloud reached down and unhooked the vambraces, strapping them around Naruto's wrists. "Don't take these off. These are very special vambraces."

Naruto cocked his head in confusion. "How are they special?"

Cloud looked up. "These vambraces are made of pure mythril, among the hardest metals on earth." Naruto looked at the vambraces with glee. That would explain why they didn't have a scratch, at least according to the thing he learned about density…well, that's what he thought…he still wasn't very far in the datapad. "But that's not the real reason I want you to wear them."

Naruto didn't look up, but asked "Then why?"

"One of our tests concluded that these vambraces had healing properties. They feed off of your large supply of Chakra, and use that to heal your body. There are some powerful charms and spells placed on those vambraces. Keep them safe, and you'll recover much faster."

Without waiting, Naruto began channeling Chakra into his wrists for the vambraces to absorb, but Cloud whapped him over the head. "Idiot. Use your head. Those vambraces can only handle so much chakra, or mana as we call it, which is why they leech from your body overtime, and only when needed. Force chakra into them, and you could damage them, possibly destroy them."

Naruto thought of a scenario. "Then couldn't an enemy channel Chakra into them and damage them?"

"No. the vambraces only accept mana from the interior, and it becomes accustomed to a cerain mana overtime. Your mana must be similar to the previous owners if they immediately adapt to you. Consider yourself lucky."

Naruto crossed his arms and nodded. "Alright. I got it, but why do you call Chakra mana?"

"Naruto, we live on different worlds. Some things are going to be different, like certain words and levels of technology. The curious thing is that we both speak the same language."

"How did that happen?"

"Perhaps there were other people who traveled between our worlds, and they exchanged their languages, forming our current language. Of course, it would have been many years ago, and we don't have any documents or archaeological evidence to support it. For now, it's just another blank page in history." Cloud looked up, smiling. "But let's forget about history for a while and focus on the now. We're going to start your training soon."

Naruto nodded happily. "Okay, but should I call Chakra mana for now?"

"Go ahead. It makes no difference to me. They both refer to the same energy."

"Alright, I'll try calling it mana for now." Naruto went back to looking at his vambraces. He could actually feel a slight portion of his Chakra being absorbed into the metal, and calming his body. It was actually very soothing. "So this acts as a continuous healing jutsu?"

"Exactly. It extracts as much mana as is necessary. Now, are you ready to leave?" Cloud asked, pushing the wheelchair up to the bed.

Naruto nodded. "Yup! So, are we gonna train?"

Cloud shook his head, much to Naruto's confusion. "No, first you've gotta heal. We're taking you to a place to speed that up. So if you would kindly get up, we can leave." Naruto hesitated, slightly afraid of the pain, but he stood up shakidly and collapsed in the chair with Cloud's help. Cloud shook his head as he unplugged the morphine tube. "Sorry about that. Your muscles are tired, since your body is focusing so much on recovery. Anyway, let's go."

Cloud started pushing the chair out of the room, turning off the light and opening the door, revealing a white hospital hallway. They had a pleasant stroll to the end of the hall, before they reached another elevator. This elevator was also a half-circle, but it had a post coming to the middle of the front to the back top and two on the sides, two planes of glass covering the holes in between. Cloud pulled Naruto up to it, parked the wheelchair, and pressed the button sending them to the first floor.

As the elevator started to descend, Cloud chuckled. "Ah yes, you've never seen the main area of our base yet, have you?"

Naruto looked back at him. "Is it fancy like the Hokage tower?"

Cloud smirked. "Oh, it's much bigger than that."

Naruto pondered as to how it looked for a minute, before the descending elevator did it for him. He pushed his wheelchair to the front as they descended the last few levels, awed by the sight. It was a room filled with light, several stories tall and filled with people, some running, some in suits, some cleaning, people doing everything. There were levels on the sides of the room, and stairs leading to all levels on the sides. The elevator reached the bottom, and Naruto watched as the light shined off of the well-polished floor tiles.

The elevator came to a halt on the ground floor, and Cloud pushed Naruto out onto the smooth tile floor. Naruto was looking at everything his neck could see, datapad forgotten in his lap. He checked the architecture above, and beside him. Never before had he seen anything this big.

Cloud chuckled. "If you think this is big, wait until we get to the helicopter."

Naruto quit looking at a man showing off a piece of metal to look back at Cloud. "What's a helicopter?"

"You'll see." Cloud kept pushing Naruto to the large door, and as they passed thought, a large grey vehicle with a red cross on the side awaited outside, with four fan-like blades on the top and at the end. It had a round body, with a small part jutting out of the front made of glass.

But the helicopter could only hold Naruto's attention for so long. He soon noticed the tall buildings around him, many over forty stories high! He gazed in awe of the wondrous spectacle before him. There were architectures behind the helicopter, and huge walls on the sides. Even the air was alive. Various things he never even imagined were soaring through the sky. Strange swishing sounds whistled around his ears. It was amazing!

Cloud pushed Naruto's wheelchair up to the helicopter, where the pilot and co-pilot awaited him. One was a man had long black hair, what appeared to be a tilak in the middle of his forehead, and a stern look. The other was a young woman with short blonde hair, running down the right side of her face. Both were wearing black suits and stood stone still.

Cloud approached them, and flashed his I.D. "Tseng, Elena, you're the pilots?"

"Is that a problem?" Tseng asked.

Cloud shook his head. There was still some uneasiness between the Turks and former members of AVALANCHE, but it never seriously interfered with their work.

Naruto stopped looking at the sky and looked over the two Turks. "Who're you two?"

"My name is Tseng. A pleasure, Mr. Uzumaki." Tseng replied.

"And I'm Elena." Elena said, more happily than Tseng. She even reached out to shake Naruto's hand. After shaking his hand, Elena's eyes returned to Cloud. "The air ambulance is ready, sir. We can leave for Lake Sekit immediately."

Cloud nodded, and scooped Naruto out of the wheelchair and placed him over his shoulder. "Hey! What're you doing?!"

"We don't know if you can walk safely yet. It's just a safety precaution. And please, stop hitting me." Cloud said to the flailing Naruto.

"I'm not some helpless little kid, you know!" Naruto shouted. "I can take care of myself!"

"Shut up!" Cloud yelled, causing all three to freeze. Even Tseng stiffened from his voice. "From now on, I'm your teacher, and you will listen to every lesson I tell you, starting now!" Cloud calmed his voice, speaking in a lower tone. "When someone offers you help, remember that it isn't always out of pity. Worry, care, and love, all come into play. Don't be embarrassed or afraid to accept it."

Naruto didn't respond. He just nodded, and allowed Cloud to carry him into the helicopter, a small smile forming upon reflection of Cloud's words. When they were on, Tseng and Elena started up the helicopter, and carried Cloud and Naruto into a new adventure.

Next Time: Dedication

**Notes**

Alright, I've had some questions about the romance in this story and when it'll start. I'll be quite frank with you: I've got no idea how to write it! I'm afraid that if I write it, it'll be cheesy and fake, like a lot of other cheesy romantic stories I've read. Can someone give me a little advice on the subject? Real romance is one thing, but writing about it is something else. When I get around to it, it should start shortly after the Chunin exams, but Naruto's romance with Michiko will be a little while after that.

Now, I've also redone some of the chapters. Just some minor things in the prologue (it's now a little more ominous), the third chapter (corrections), and the eighth chapter (receiving the wolf's blessings and the final fight). This one was actually fairly boring to write, since there wasn't any fighting in it.

I got some offers to proofread my stories, but I don't think I'm going to have anyone proofread it. You see, whenever I finish a chapter, I just wanna get it up! No waiting, because I just spent a month writing this shit, and it's harder than it looks! At first I thought it was easy, but you can really burn yourself out. So, that's the reason, and if there're a few misspelled words, then so be it.

I'd also like to make an apology. I've said I hate yaoi/yuri, and I don't like them, but I don't mean to bash them. To each his own, and I'm going to stop shouting at people for being different. I really don't wanna end up like Bush.

Alright! Here are the Q&A!

**RobotPirateNinja: **yeah, I was inspired by that. It just fit so perfectly. I made some alteratios to it, so I hope that made it more original. It's hard to do anything original nowadays, since anime's done everything possible. I'm pretty sure my new fic is completely original, though.

**CodeKyuubi: **Yeah, everyone thought I kicked the bucket, but I'm back! About your –san comment. It's true that san is applied to people of equal status, but I thought I'd use master instead of san because while san shows they're equals, I like who don't know of suffixes to know that they're both still on the same level. And the reason why I didn't italicize the thoughts was because I used that for future Naruto's speech. But you're right, and it is hard to tell the difference, so I'm going to start doing that. Thanks for the help. (P.S. I haven't had time to check out your fic, but I know you updated. I'll read it when I can.)

**Bouddica Aturia: **Yeah, I got inspired by that fight. But I have tried to change it. I hope it worked.

**G 52 goodman: **Yup, that's the effect I was looking for. I'll explain it all in the next chapter. Glad to have your support!

**Dragonlor562: **I knew some people would pick up on Cloud. Maybe I made it a little too obvious…o well. Glad you liked it!

**DeathGod666:** Glad you liked my little inspiration I got from endless hours of Bleach. Great manga/anime. Anyway, I wont' get further into those guys's stories until later in the story, so sorry, but you'll have to wait a few chapters.

**FF-loverHP1: **Nope, no summoning materia (he's got the wolf contract), but he will get some new type of materia I've thought of later, and some normal material for now.

**Zerodragon:** Were you the one who said he thought he knew who he was? If you were, and even if you weren't, give yourself a pat on the back. I was wondering how many people thought that. And I'm glad you commented about the wolf summoning. I've seen too many fics where he gets a fox summoning, but the point of the story is to **not** make him look like the fox. Also, I just like to differ form the norm :)

**Shujin no Kaze: **Thanks. I'm glad to see you can enjoy this even if it's a crossover story. I hope I don't disappoint. I'm trying to tie everything from the past chapters into the future chapters, and I hope I don't forget anything.

**Firecanburn:** It'll take place all over the place, but for now it'll be training in Cloud's place, and then Naruto will be assigned to watch over his own world as a link between his world and the W.R.O. And another thing…does Cloud's world have a name? I can't remember.

**star's dreams: **You just made me realize something: I've been writing like a machine lately, not enjoying it as much as I used to, just like Sum 41 did. When you told me about how you thought I write, it made me realize I have to find myself again so I can write well again and have fun doing it. Thanks. This comment helped me a lot, especially when I learned that someone printed my story out like I do with my stories. I deeply thank you.

**EarthAd3pt17: **I checked out the stories you posted and they're pretty good. Haven't read all the way through, but I like what I see. Anyway, thanks for saying that. It's reviews like this that remind me why I write. I look forward to hearing from you again. Also, it's after Advent Children, but before DOC. Im gonna replace DOC with something else, but still involving Vincent.

**Vegeta the 3rd: **Actually, I've never played Kingdom hearts (well, I never got past the first part at least because I don't own a copy, my friend does). So, right now it's a FFVII crossover. Sorry to ruin that idea, but it was good. Maybe you should write one like that. I'd read it And yes, I too am disappointed by that, but I cant' do everything at once. It'd be insane! I'll get to it eventually. It will happen.

**TrapedSoul:** Sorry! It took me a while to get my rhythm back. I'm still getting it back, but I hope to be back to my normal self soon.

**Ultimate Shinobi 1: **Rasengan: yes. Shuriken Rasengan: nope. I got something better planned for the rasengan. Much better.

**same.lame.name.: **Don't worry about it. People got a lot to do. No problem.

**shikamaru the nerd: **Nope! He's not gonna get a clan house, and his connection will be revealed later. One reason for the no clan house thing is that his…clan is all dead!!! Sorry for some boring parts in the chapters, but sometimes its gotta happen. And it really isn't a bloodline, but the Jenova cells he somehow received. And yes, THERE WILL BE EVIL AND DEATH!!! I've seen too little of it! I love stories because there's evil and violence in them, which I oppose in real life, but get in stories. You seem to be that kind of person too. Actually visiting the power will be much later, for when he really unlocks it. I'm not just gonna hand it too him on a silver platter (like what usually happens to Sasuke…). And about the others not being killed…some will die later…some very cruelly…yeah…

Alright! That's all for now. I'll post a new chapter of Project Rebirth: Unit One and then I'll post the prologue of I Walk Alone. Leave a review, if you would be so kind!

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


	10. Dedication

**The Paths We Walk**

Dedication

The stars filled the cloudless night above Konohagakure. The streets were silent, with the only sign of life the occasional cat running through the street, or the sound of a squad of shinobi lightly landing on a rooftop, only to vanish as quickly as they appeared. On a porch in the center of the village, two lovers held each other as they gazed at the endless sky. Fireflies danced above the bushes, while unknown dangers slept in the deadly forests. A cry pierced the night sky; a child escaping from the horrors of his dreams. A mother rushed into the room, cradling the child and singing a soft lullaby. The night was peaceful, a lasting moment of calm. Until…

In the empty space once graced by a luxury hotel, a ball of green light flashed in the middle of the air. It rotated, spinning energy flowing around the sphere. The energy appeared as thousands of strings, flowing around it in waves. The sphere began to expand, filling the entire space of the vacant lot. And just like that, the green energy began to disappear, revealing a large building.

The lot had been connected to both streets on both sides. Now, the lot was filled with a nine-story building. The building had two major sections facing the streets, each large enough to house twenty people comfortably. On the sides there were hallways connecting the two main sections. In the center, there was a rectangular training field, fifty feet long and thirty feet wide. On the field there were rocks scattered about, with a large circular pool in the center about thirty feet in diameter. The ground was actually a layer of soil over solid stone. Surrounding the training area there was a wooden roofed walkway. The building had a foreign style, with metal plates around the building and security cameras guarding the entrances and areas all over the compound. On both sides there were entrances: a simple stairway leading to a thick steel door. On the side, there was a numberpad and keyboard built into the steel wall, with a blank screen on the side.

Suddenly, the steel door on the west side whished open, the door pulling itself into the wall. Once open, several individuals stepped out, only to meet four Turks outside waiting for them.

"You're late." Reno said irritably. He looked like he just woke up from a nice nap.

"Yes. We've been waiting for over an hour. Was there a problem?" Tseng asked.

The first one who stepped out, a young man with brown traveling gear, similar to traveling gear used by fire country citizens. He had a backpack with water bottles strapped to the sides and blank maps sticking out of the backpack. "The coordinates were incorrect, and they had to be adjusted for a successful operation." The man looked up at the sky, to his left, and his right, taking in his surroundings. "So this is Konoha…"

A young woman with short brown hair wearing a similar outfit stepped beside him, looking up from her map. "Yeah. It looks so…uncivilized. It's too quiet at night."

The man looked at her. "Well, you can't blame them Renda. This place does have a peaceful feel to it, unlike the big city. It'd never be this calm at night."

Tseng watched the surrounding buildings. "Speaking of which, did you set up the image distortion projector Reno? We don't want any ANBU getting suspicious."

Reno nodded. "Yeah yeah. I don't see the point though. Like they won't find a big metal building appearing outta nowhere strange. We're just delaying the inevitable."

Elena nodded. "I hate to say it, but he has a point. This is too odd to simply ignore with the village in a high level of alarm. What were our superiors thinking?"

Another man stepped out of the building. He was wearing a large beat-up red cape that looked like flames. The front strapped around his upper body, connected by four buckles below and two on the collar, and wore a matching red headband that held long untamed black hair. He was dressed in a tight black suit with a marching belt and a tri-barreled gun strapped to his left leg. His face looked like Sasuke's. The most interesting thing was that his left arm was a long golden clawed arm, which looked sharp enough to slice through steel. Behind him was a lady with long blonde hair flowing around her head. She had pale skin and wore an open lab coat. Underneath that was a sky blue blouse and a black skirt reaching her knees. She had a clipboard in her right hand and a small pistol strapped to her waist.

Rude looked at the black-haired man. "So they actually managed to track you down, huh Vincent?"

Vincent stared, before stating "I needed to get away for a while…" He lowered his head for a minute, before stating his reason for being here. "I've been assigned the defense of this facility, as well as our diplomat to Konoha. Ashley is in charge of technical and electrical workings of the facility."

Tseng nodded. "So, is that all? We should be going. Our next mission is to gather information on lightning country and Kumogakure."

Reno sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, we better get going too. We gotta head to wind country and Sunagakure. Man, I heard it's sandy. Got anything to protect my eyes?" The male geographer held out two pairs of goggles that would encase their eyes. They were taken thankfully. "Thanks Henry."

"A team will be coming to begin building an underground facility tomorrow. We'll transport the dirt away and fill the space with our facility." Ashley announced. "We'll use that for our weapons storage, labs, and other necessary stations. This place will be accessible at all times, so if things get bad, don't regret returning to re-supply, alright?" Everyone nodded. "Alright, you all know your missions. Dismissed!" She announced.

Tseng and Elena began escorting Renda to Kumo and Vincent jumped up to the rooftops to scout out the rest of the village for himself. Rude and Reno were about to escort Henry to Suna, but Reno ran up to Ashley with hearts in his eyes.

"Hey Ashley! I heard there's a good movie in the theatres around here. How about after we get back, you and I go check it out?" He offered.

"I'm busy." She said flatly, before turning back into the house and shutting the door. Reno's head sank. That was number seven.

Rude walked up to his partner and patted his back. "Let it go. We got a job to do." He said, never losing his composure. Reno nodded, and they both stood up straight as they escorted Henry to Sunagakure.

**Break**

"…98…99…100!" Naruto gasped, dropping to the grassy ground. He'd just been forced to do 100 pushups straight, and he felt like his arms would drop off. He was wearing a purple jumpsuit with a shoulderpad, and some combat boots. Worse yet, his enormous sword was still strapped to his back. It seemed lighter since he carried it in the forest, but still, this thing could be a major pain in the ass!

Things were a lot harder than he thought. When he got to lake Sekit, Cloud had him unwrap his bandages. Naruto was surprised to find he had two black bangs growing with his hair, but he also noticed his eyes had a strange glow. Cloud told him that his hair was released into its natural color because of the illusion being dispelled. When Naruto asked why it was concealed, he said it was because if someone saw his hair, it would be too easy to identify him. Not too many people have two hair colors. As for the eyes, Cloud told him that it was a side-effect of the mako, giving them a glowing effect. If anything, it just made it easier to see in the dark.

At the moment, he was wearing a black sleeveless shirt and green shorts. His actual training outfit still hadn't arrived yet. He couldn't wait to see it.

Right now, Naruto was undergoing physical training, which wasn't as easy as it sounded…

_Whack!_

"OW!" Naruto yelled, clutching his head. Naruto looked up at Cloud, who was holding a large wooden sword, which he used to hit Naruto whenever he slacked.

"Get back to work." Cloud instructed.

"Hey! I've been working my butt off for the past three days! Gimme a break, will ya?!"

Cloud sighed. "You just had one two hours ago."

"Well, I need another one!" Naruto still hadn't moved from his spot on the ground.

Cloud thought about it, and finally nodded. After all, if all Naruto did was train, his muscles wouldn't have time to grow. Naruto gave a shout of glee as he stood up and ran as fast as he could to the lake. Cloud smiled slightly watching him. It was relaxing to watch him run around. He was still so full of innocence…but that wasn't all good. After all, war was around the corner.

Naruto ran over to the lake and let himself fall flat on his back in the sand, placing his sword beside him. They were in a small secluded lake high in the mountains. As soon as they got there, Naruto noticed it was harder to breathe. Cloud said something about training at higher elevations helping with stamina at normal altitudes, and it would help in training.

Naruto reached over to a pack beside him and pulled out a sandwich, made of ham, celery, cheese, and mustard. He also grabbed an apple, a bottle of water with added nutrients, and a small salad. Ever since they arrived, Cloud had been making him eat healthy. He'd seen something about it on the datapad, and about how it could give him more energy and how it could advance growth, and give him more energy. It wasn't ramen, but it wasn't gruel either.

Cloud walked up beside Naruto and sat down on the tan sand, pulling a sandwich out of a pack beside him. It had been like this for days. Cloud had told him to begin physical training almost since the moment they'd arrived. Constant training was broken up by breaks where they'd eat and rest for more.

Naruto began to take a bite, but stopped. There was something he'd been wanting to ask Cloud for a while, but with all of the training, he'd never gotten around to it.

"Hey Cloud, I remember Victor saying something about something called the lifestream." He put down his water bottle, looking Cloud in the eye. "What is it? You all talked about it like it was really important."

Cloud slowed his chewing, processing the question and wondering how to answer it in a way that he would believe it. He swallowed his bite, putting his food down, and cupped his right cheek in his hand. "It's a very peculiar thing, Naruto. I'm not sure you would believe it."

"Like I haven't already seen things that I would never have believed before." Naruto said jokingly. "Look, I wanna know! I have a right to know! You dragged me here, and I'm actually thankful for tha- OW!" Naruto curled up, clutching his throbbing skull where Cloud had struck him with the wooden sword.

"Fine. If you really want to know, I'll tell you. But first…" Cloud gave Naruto a look of complete seriousness. "Forget about anything you learned in Konoha about the afterlife. There's no Kami, no heaven, no hell. There is only the lifestream."

Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement, and some doubt. He'd been told all his life of Kami-sama, and how the good would be rewarded.

Cloud paused, before continuing. "When we die, our bodies return to the planet, but the question still remained: what happened to our souls?" The sun broke through the clouds, lighting up the two young warriors. "Well, our souls also return to the planet." Naruto actually looked down, wondering if there was a ghost beneath his feet.

"Deep beneath the earth's crust is a current: the lifestream. The lifestream gives life to all living things on the planet, and when the live dies, the energy the lifestream lent to it returns to the planet, while its' experiences add to the lifestream, helping it grow and continuing the circle of life. In this way, I suppose we all live forever."

Naruto's jaw dropped as he began to understand. "So, I'm a part of the planet?"

Cloud nodded, happy that he was beginning to understand. "Yes! And that's how I found you. You see, the lifestream is another dimension within the earth; the borderline between its' own world and ours. That dimension is connected to other worlds, such as yours. And by entering the lifestream dimension, we can travel anywhere. Think of it as a circular room with multiple doors, each leading to a solitary, yet identical room. That's the best way I can think of to describe it. Do you understand?"

Naruto placed his chin on his hand, nodding slightly. "So, I'm a product of the planet, and the lifestream is how Gaia and Earth are connected." Naruto suddenly realized something. "But that still doesn't explain how you found a way into my world. That dimension doesn't sound like a clear walkway from world to world. So what is it?"

Cloud nodded, taking a swig of his water. "We had no idea of other worlds until recently. We detected an odd aura coming from a certain area in the lifestream. I had previously experienced the inner dimension of the lifestream, and could detect the aura's location by myself, so I was sent. Upon leaving the lifestream's inner dimension, I emerged on the surface , shortly before you left the land of waves. I could still sense the aura of Jenova cells around the area. They were still active, inside you. Even now, I can still sense them."

Naruto sat up, wrapping his arms around his knees. The wind felt good against his skin, like a soft hand gliding down his face. "And what you sense are these Jenova cells? What are they? I need to know before we continue with training."

Cloud nodded, acknowledging his right to this knowledge. "Jenova was a calamity from the sky, descending to the planet over two thousand years ago. It nearly wiped out the old Cetran race, until they managed to seal it within the great northern crater. Over thirty years ago, the Shinra company found it, and began conducting experiments on it, believing it to be a member of the ancient Cetran race." Cloud clutched his arm feeling the cells within his arm pulsing. "The cells were placed within SOLDIERs, creating superhuman beings with extraordinary abilities. It was only after that we realized just what en evil entity that Jenova is."

Naruto looked up at Cloud, still full of questions. "I understand how mako can counteract the cells, but then why haven't anyone else with the cells gone berserk like I have? You already told me about how you defeated Sephiroth in the northern crater and in the ruins of Midgar. I remember the children with the cells. Why am I the only one?"

Cloud released his arm, forming a fist. "Somehow, the cells must have entered your system as a young child, when your system was still developing. Therefore, the cells have more influence over you being so closely knit into your system, and their evil influence can overtake your body. That's also why geostigma spread through your system so quickly. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded, looking up over the lake. "Yeah, but then does that mean that I'll lose control again?"

"That's up to you. You have a strong will and sense of identity. As long as you have the will to stand against the influence, then there's nothing to worry about." Cloud actually smiled slightly. "Actually, it may be a good thing the cells have such an influence over your being. How else could you have healed so fast?"

Naruto nodded in understanding, taking one last big bite of his sandwich and standing up, dusting himself off. "Alright. Things are starting to make more sense to me." Naruto turned around and headed back to the flat field next to the lake.

"…You can still turn back." Cloud said, barely above a whisper, bringing the blonde to a halt. He almost couldn't here it, but his new body had its advantage. "If we continue past this point, there's no going back. You'll become apart of this war."

"…"

"I'm not talking about little squabbles. I'm talking about armies, battlefields miles in diameter…killing or being killed. This isn't a game. You have to understand that after today, there's no going back." Cloud finished, turning around to Naruto.

Naruto stayed silent for a while, deep in thought. He stayed silent for over a minute, before he turned around, his eyes hard and determined, looking straight forward without any hesitation.

"If you didn't want me involved, you wouldn't have saved me. If you didn't want anyone else involved, there wouldn't be a base in Konoha." He flexed his right hand, before forming a solid fist. "Whether we like it or not, Konoha will be brought into this! If I can get stronger now, then I can help protect my home, and everything I care about! Don't ask me again! You have my answer!" Naruto finished, glowing blue eyes staring at Cloud.

Cloud turned away, placing an arm on his raised knee. Slowly, his blank lips turned into a grin, and then into a smile. "Heh heh. I should've known. Sorry for doubting you." Cloud stood up, strapping his sword to his back and grabbing Naruto's buster sword, his wooden sword in the other. "Fine. Tomorrow we begin the real training. There's no going back now, kid." With that, he threw Naruto's sword at a nearby mountain, sticking it into the rockface a hundred meters above ground.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Naruto asked. Cloud just smirked, whapping him on the head with his wooden sword again. "Yeow!"

"You're still not ready for that sword. If you truly want to wield it again, you'll have to earn it."

Cloud looked at Naruto in the eye, searching for any doubt. He found none. "Good…you really are prepared to go all the way."

Naruto never broke eye contact, smirking, brimming with confidence. "Whenever you're ready."

Cloud nodded, folding his arms. "Tomorrow, we'll ready the gravity field. For today, you'll teach me the shadow clone technique. I'll need it to teach you properly."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"All knowledge a clone gains will return to the user once it's been dispelled. Therefore, I can teach you everything I want you to know as quickly as we need."

Naruto nodded. "Well, let's get to work."

Cloud patted Naruto's head, much to his embarrassment. "I hope you're ready."

Naruto smirked, placing his fingers in his signature cross sign. "Let's go."

_Whack!!_ "YEOWCH!!!"

**Break**

Sakura made her way down the Konoha markets, deeper into the older parts of Konoha, where many of the landmarks and monuments stood. It was another sunny day in Konoha, contrasting Sakura's mood. She wasn't happy. She wasn't carefree. She was determined. For the first time in her life, she really wanted to improve. Not to impress Sasuke, not to beat Ino, for herself.

The Chunin exams had only showed her just how pathetic she was. She had no techniques other than the academy ones, and knowing a bunch of history and shinobi laws did no good in an actual fight. She had to improve. She didn't want to stand back and watch as her teammates got hurt anymore.

Sakura slowly made her way past all of the temples until she found a small one; one with only a beaten wooden door with chipping brown paint. It had a simple brass knob, and a tan color. It was no bigger than a small apartment, and paled in comparison to the other extravagant temples surrounding them.

Sakura walked up to it, and gently turned the brass knob. With a creak, the door opened, releasing a sweet fragrance into the air. Sakura stepped inside, and closed the door.

The walls were lined with candles burning, illuminating the room. Sweet flowers grew in flowerpots lined around the walls. The floor was bare green tile, shining in the candlelight. In the center of the room, a young woman around seventeen with her upper torso wrapped in red cloth and white sweatpants with her stomach slightly exposed near the hips, decorated with images of pink lilies dancing around the outfit. She had pink hair running just below her shoulders, held from her face with simple red hair clips, and forest-green eyes. At the moment, she was practicing ikebana from twenty feet away…throwing kunai.

Behind her, watching and overseeing her training was an old woman with graying hair and a hand on a brown cane with an ivy pattern rising along the length. Her grey hair was tied in a tight bun with chopsticks holding it together, and she wore a deep green robe, tied with a red sash and ribbon. Her skin was wrinkled, a testament to her age.

Sakura stopped, looking at her feet and trying to gather her confidence. She tightly knit her hands together, trying to relieve the stress. Gathering her willpower, she looked up. "Sayuri-chan…Mitsu-obaasama…I-I want to train!" Sakura blurted out.

Mitsu walked up to Sakura, with the only sound echoing throughout the room the wooden staff pounding against the ground. She walked right up to Sakura, looking at her eye-to-eye. She was just taller than Sakura, but the intimidation was there.

"Sakura-chan, I've said it before, we only train our clan members once they reach Chunin level. That's when you're at the right level to train."

"Bu-"

"Sakura, Mitsu-senpai is right. You're not ready for these techniques. All of these are Chunin-level techniques. Come back when you're ready."

Mitsu turned around when she was halfway back across the room, when Sakura shouted "NO!"

Sayuri and Mitsu turned around, looking at the hurt and angry Sakura. "I've been enough of a burden on my team! I need to grow stronger! This is the only way that I can! Please help me grow stronger!"

Mitsu lowered her voice. "Sakura…you're not ready. It'll be too hard for you to-"

"No! I'm tired of being weak! I don't want to be a burden anymore…" She bowed down, refusing to let her eyes water up. "Please…I want to grow stronger. I don't want to stand on the sidelines while my teammates get hurt. I'm tired of being dead weight."

"Sakura-chan…"

"My teammates are growing stronger all the time. Even Naruto, the dead last of our class, is growing up…becoming strong." She fell to her knees, leaning forward in a deep bow. "Please…help me grow up strong. I don't care if it's difficult. I don't care if I'm not Chunin level. I just want to be able to protect my friends…"

Mitsu stared at her granddaughter. It was a hard choice. She watched her back convulse as she released pent-up tears. Sakura hadn't shown any improvement since she graduated. It was obvious that she has been infatuated with the Uchiha prodigy. Failure to train was her own fault, but she was willing to try.

Mitsu rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying to calm herself down. "You know…" Sakura raised her head, wiping away the drying tears. "I was young once…I remember old school crushes. My friends and I would sit in the flower fields, talking about boys and our futures, and how we would all be great." Sakura looked at her, slowly realizing where she was going with this.

"Then, one day, it dawned on us that we were wasting our time. We realized that we were wasting our time in pursuit of boys that we could never stand up to. It was then that we saw we were all still kids, and were just standing there, watching everyone grow up around us. None of us took our careers seriously."

She held out a hand to Sakura, who gladly accepted it and stood up, dusting herself off. "You, Sakura, have just realized this." She placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's time to grow up, Sakura, and become an adult. It will be long and hard, and you can delay it, but you can never avoid it."

Sakura watched Mitsu walk back across the dojo, with only the soft echo of her footsteps and her staff filling their ears. Sakura wanted to follow, but stood, as if rooted to her spot. She wasn't given an answer, just a story of their similar situations. Gathering her nerve, she asked "Well, can I train?"

Mitsu stopped, sighing. "Didn't you listen to a word I said?" Sakura started to sweat. She knew that was a no. "Our clan techniques are meant for Chunins and above. As I did in the past, you must train on your own."

Mitsu turned and nodded to Sayuri, who seemed to understand what she meant. She walked to a small cabinet and removed a single scroll from the bottom. She patted it down, removing a few years worth of dust. It was nothing more than a plain white scroll with the word 'training' written in kanji. She tossed it to Sakura from across the room, who just managed to catch it without fumbling.

"Take that, sis. It's a scroll with training advice. With that, you'll be Chunin in no time!" She said happily. Sakura opened the scroll, observing the various exercises and drills, and even three new techniques. Sakura nodded, thanked them, and ran out the door to find an available training ground.

Sayuri smirked. "Heh. Looks like baby sis is finally growing up, huh?"

Mitsu nodded. "Yeah…" At that, Sayuri continued training, while Mitsu took a seat on the floor, and began meditating. 'Good luck, Sakura.'

**Break**

The Hokage was in the middle of another stressful day, with a pile of paperwork awaiting him once he arrived. He'd just finished handing out the daily missions, and after the paperwork, he'd be in the training field for a quick refresher.

As he reached the Hokage chamber he noticed Raido standing guard. He had a burn mark on his left cheek and spiky brown hair. "Good afternoon, Raido-san."

Raido stood at attention at hearing his name. "Good afternoon, Hokage-Sama!" He said enthusiastically. "Today, you've got an important bulletin authorizing the adjusted funding for the water purification center." He announced.

The Hokage sighed and nodded as he entered. Being Hokage wasn't as glamorous as most thought. He closed the large wooden door behind him, and started the short trek over to his desk. He never noticed the figure with dark hair standing beside the door.

"I've been waiting for you." Vincent said, catching the Hokage's attention.

"Yes…I take it you're here about that building that has suddenly appeared?" The Hokage said, unfazed.

"Hmph. So, you knew." He said with certainty.

"It's obvious by the look of your clothes that you're from a faraway land, and strange events have been taking place around here recently. From that man in black, to Naruto's disappearance, and now you and this building materializing from thin air." The Hokage turned around, sitting down in his chair. "Tell me, can you shed any light on these events?"

Vincent unfolded his arms, and began walking up to the desk. His steel shoes made a dark ringing sound against the tiled floor.

"Vincent Valentine. I've been sent here regarding those events. However, all that I've been authorized to reveal to you is that you have nothing to fear from our presence."

"…And?" The Hokage spoke deeply.

"That's all. Now, I'll take my leave." Vincent said coolly as he walked over to the window.

"We're not finished." The Hokage announced. "We still have some matters to discuss."

"That is none of my conc-"

"Your organization claims land in our village and demands our trust so quickly when so many mysteries are about in these dangerous times. Why should we have any faith in your claims? There's too much fog to overlook these events."

Vincent's eyes hardened. The old man was too pushy for his liking. Turning around, he flung his cloak around, letting the soft rustling fill their ears. "You know nothing, because you need to know nothing. If you should need to know something, then perhaps we shall tell you everything. For the moment, all you need to know has been revealed. The fog has lifted enough to allow you to see our outline, but for now, that will be all." Vincent spoke deeply, leaving no room for further discussion.

Vincent forgot just how stubborn old men can be.

"Listen to me! This isn't your home! You're not residents of our village, you're guests, and I'm barely granting you that title. And as a guest in our village, you will answer when asked: what and how did you arrive? How did that building appear? Do you have any information on the Naruto Uzumaki case? And what about that stranger that came talking about Naruto? I know you know something. These events are too closely tied to be coincidence."

Vincent crossed his arms and stared at the wall, leaning against the desk with his back to the Hokage. "Even a monkey could've figured that out. Don't get so cocky, old man." Vincent admitted. There was no point in hiding it now.

"So there is some relation." The Hokage confirmed. "The cloaked man, was he one of your agents?"

"…Something like that, yes."

"And what of Naruto?" The Hokage asked.

"Well, he's not dead, if that's what you're asking."

"What have you done with our shinobi? Why have you kidnapped him?" The Hokage demanded, slamming his hands on the desk, cracking it.

"Hokage-Sama, is everything alright? Raido asked, pounding on the door.

"It's nothing, Raido-san. Please, remain at your post." The Hokage ordered before returning to staring at the blood-red cloak around Vincent's back. "So, what do you have to say?"

"He's not dead, but after we're done with him, I'm sure he'll get the experience."

"So, it's training?"

"Something like that." Vincent replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've already said more than I was ordered to reveal."

"Sorry to force it out, but I can't risk our village's safety." The Hokage sighed. He sensed a troublesome relationship ahead. "Remember, Naruto is a Konoha shinobi, and we know the man in black was after him, so if you have him, the man in black must have been with you."

"You have filled in many of the blanks on your own. You don't need me to fill in the rest for you. Now, farewell." Vincent Flung his cape around, and calmly walked over to the door.

"Can we truly trust you?" The Hokage asked, lacing his fingers.

Vincent paused at the door. For a moment, he tasted the question, and tried to find an answer. "I believe…trust is earned over time. For now, I believe acceptance and mutuality is the best we can hope for." He turned around. "Just for the record, I don't trust this village at all." With that, he turned and left, ignoring the curious Raido.

The Hokage wore the same stone cold look. _'Mr. Valentine, just what is going to happen? What could your little club be planning for us?'_

**Break**

"Good, Naruto! Now keep it up!" Cloud shouted as he came at Naruto with the wooden sword, modeled after the first tsurugi. Naruto brought up his own wooden version of the buster sword. Both swords had a large lead weight inside of the wooden bodies, putting them at about the same weight as their regular swords, though far less deadly. However, that wasn't the only force at work here.

On the edges of the training ground, there were several machines, each running off of gravity material, making the training ground's gravity more intense. Training had only just begun, so gravity was only set at 1.1 times normal gravity. But even at that, Naruto could feel the effects of the increased weight after training in it for three days.

Cloud jumped high into the air, twice as high as he was tall, and brought his sword down. Naruto instinctively jumped to the side, but had to duck as Cloud recovered and went into a spin attack. Naruto rose, only to block a follow-up spin attack. Naruto was flung back ten feet and landed on his back, only to do a handspring Naruto recovered, and returned to his basic guard, with his feet in a box shape, leaning on his forward left leg, and holding his sword straight out, ready to strike without a moment's notice.

Cloud held his battle face as he resumed a similar battle stance. "Good. You're getting better at distributing the sword's weight through the muscles in your arms. Now, let's get back to what's important!" Cloud charged, pulling his sword back for a stab attack. Naruto swung his sword down, crashing with Cloud's sword, but Cloud used the force of the block to swing his sword around in a full circle. Just before it struck, Naruto rolled to the side and jumped back to guard.

"You need to stop playing defense, kid. I'm still just playing with you. If you won't strike, you can't win. Start trying!" Cloud said, placing his sword across his shoulder.

Naruto growled. "Hey! That's easy for you to say! I'm new at this, okay?! I'm having a hard enough time just defending! How can I actually strike someone as skilled as you?!" Naruto asked loudly. "You're the great hero who saved this world from that Sephiroth guy! Twice!! How can I beat you?" Naruto demanded.

Cloud smirked, breaking his battle face for a moment. "This exercise is to increase your own physical strength, and to give you a taste of real combat! We're gonna do this until you're ready for real combat, and until you actually can hold your own! You'll never get there if you can't balance offense and defense! Start attacking!" Cloud said as he readied himself.

Naruto knew nothing would happen unless he attacked. Cloud was waiting for him, and Naruto knew Cloud wanted to see just how he would naturally attack. So far, Cloud has seen just how Naruto naturally fights. Cloud was fairly impressed, but he lacked proper judgment and would move foolishly. He had no proper form, and was clumsy. It would prove just fine against normal soldiers, but not against the soldiers he will face. But Cloud knew that fighting for over a month straight would get him battle ready.

It did for him.

Naruto charged, raising his sword above his head. He swung it down with all his might, but Cloud blocked it effortlessly. "Good! Now keep coming! Show me your power!" Cloud roared. Naruto raised his sword again, trying to bash through Cloud's guard, but to no avail. Next, he tried a side swipe, but Cloud weaved his sword in a circle, knocking it aside. But Naruto proved that he had been watching and learning, and used a move Cloud had used over and over again. He used the force from Cloud's strike to spin his own sword around and did a spin attack. Cloud couldn't block it or jump back fast enough, so he planted his blade into the ground and gripped the tip of the handle facing the clouds, swinging his body upwards and becoming perpendicular to the ground just as Naruto's sword hit his own. Then, he allowed his body to follow through, and he landed right on Naruto's head, pushing him very unceremoniously into the ground, letting him give it a good 'kiss'.

"Better. You're definitely learning how to use your enemies strikes to your advantage, but that's not…enough!" Cloud lectured, before charging at the recovering Naruto. Naruto stood just in time to sweep his sword down, pushing both their wooden blades into the earth. Cloud gave Naruto a small smirk. "Yes…very good. You're a faster learner than you think. But you're missing something very important…" Cloud swept both their swords to the side, and took a great step forward, almost kneeling. Then, he launched himself up, delivering an incredible uppercut to the soft flesh under Naruto's chin. Naruto actually hung in midair for a second, falling, only to be kicked fifteen feet away by Cloud.

Cloud watched as Naruto clutched his stomach and the underside of his chin. He was hunched over, reeling with pain. "Ugh…Augh…Gack!" Naruto spit out a small amount of blood. "Why…? Why did you take it that far? That really hurt…" Naruto said, before huddling up on the ground, still trying to look at Cloud.

Cloud nodded. "Exactly." Naruto gave him a look that promised death, before he allowed him to continue. "You need to learn that while your sword is an extension of your body, you mustn't forget about the rest of your limbs. Your whole body is a weapon, and now you know just how deadly it can be. Learn to use the weapon the planet has given you." Cloud finished, walking over to Naruto and offering him a hand, which he grudgingly accepted. "We'll go over more later, but for now, let's catch our breath." Cloud offered.

Naruto, still trying to recover his breath, nodded and stood up with Cloud's help. They walked over to the food and each grabbed a large thermos full of beef & vegetable stew, and a carton of milk and juice. They sat and ate, watching over a dozen other copies of each of them train in their own art in the surrounding land around the lake. They were given chakra pills regularly to maintain their form, so they didn't need to be dispelled, and Naruto took pills that acted as a body coolant, actually substituting for sleep.

_Whack!_ "OW! STOP IT!!" Naruto shouted. Cloud was having too much fun with this.

For a minute longer, they ate and watched how the others progressed. "Hey…Cloud?"

"What?" He asked between bites.

"Why can't I just create more shadow clones, like say 3 for every art you want me to learn?"

Cloud sighed. "I'd hoped you would figure that out by yourself."

"This is easier." Naruto replied.

"True enough. Well, a shadow clone is nothing more than a copy of you, with all of your knowledge and experience. If you tried to teach them all the same thing, it wouldn't matter if you created a thousand! All would learn the exact same thing. Like a thousand clones learning to draw a circle. Even after you gained their knowledge, it would all be about the same thing!"

Naruto nodded showing he understood. "Oh…I see…I just wanted training to go by faster."

Cloud reached over and ruffled Naruto's gold and black hair. "Relax. Sheesh, you can whine a lot."

"Wait! Why is it that I'm only fighting with you? Shouldn't I be physically training my body to get stronger?"

Cloud nodded. "And we are." Noticing Naruto's confused look, he elaborated. "There's another reason you're training your body. Have you ever wondered why your jutsus are weaker than those of others?" Naruto shook his head. "Well, chakra is molded by both physical and mental strength. It may have nothing to do with control; that comes through natural ability and training. We're working on your chakra potency."

"The best chakra is molded from an equal fusion of both physical and mental strength. Potent chakra will help your jutsu power. That's why we're constantly sparring: there's no quicker way at growing muscle, and it's just like a real fight" Cloud finished.

"Okay…but shouldn't I be learning? If anything, I lack mental power, so I should be studying!" Naruto asked loudly.

"But that's just it…your chakra isn't potent _because_ of your mental strength." Naruto just gave him a look. "All your life, there's been knowledge in part of your brain that's been locked away." Cloud gave a look of deep thought. "Something happened to you…long ago…" Cloud stared at nothing, with Naruto mirroring him.

"…Oh! Sorry about that. Well, the fact is you have natural mental power, so we have to increase your physical strength. And by sparring, we kill two birds with one stone." Cloud stood up, finished the last of his stew, and dusted himself off. "Well…let's get back to training. The next group needs to eat, too." Clodu finished.

"Yeah! Back to traini- OW!" Cloud smirked.

"Well, come on. Get up, _dobe_!" He insulted.

"Grrrrrrrraah!" Naruto launched forward, ready to give it his all.

**Break**

"Alright, dig in!" Choji was too fast for Asuma's words, and he'd already eaten four pieces of meat by the time Asuma had finished.

"Oi, Choji! Show some restraint! You're gonna burst if you don't slow down!" Ino shouted as the boy did nothing short of inhale the meat."

Choji paused, smiling happily as he tasted the wonderful meaty aftertaste. "Ah, Ino, it's good. Of course if you don't want any, I'd be happy to take yours off your hands!"

Ino sighed and placed her unused chopsticks on the table. "I'll pass. I'm on a diet."

"Sheesh. This is such a pain." Shikamaru complained.

Asuma just roared with laughter. "Eat up, everyone! Diet or not, we're here to have fun and eat our fill! Don't forget, we have training ground number 9 reserved for us in an hour, right after Team Kurenai! We've got to have our strength so we can train just as hard as they are!

Ino sighed. "Asuma-sensei, why do we have to train? Shikamaru's the only one in the Chunin exams. Can't we have a day off?"

"Well…I guess so…"

"Alright! After the barbeque, I'll ask my dad to take me out for some rice and miso!" Choji roared with happiness.

"Fine Choji…" Asuma started, smirking "But you're paying the bill."

"What?! Nooooooo!"

"And next time we go out for barbeque…no seconds!"

"Ack! How could you?!"

"And…" Asuma's smirk suddenly became demonic. "…you may only have…one item off the menu!" He roared!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I'LL TRAIN!! PLEASE, SPARE ME!!!"

Asuma smiled "Good boy." _'One down'_

"Well, I guess I'll go style some flowers. See ya, everyone." Ino said, getting up from her isle seat and reaching for her ninja pouch.

"Oh! So you won't be joining us?" Asuma asked curiosly, years of training hiding his nasty grin.

"Yeah. I'm going to give the flowers to Sasuke-kun if he's back yet, before frankenskull beats me to it."

Asuma sighed. "Fine. Do as you wish, but I bet Sasuke hates weak girls."

Ino froze, giving her sense a death glare. "…What was that? I didn't catch that?"

Asuma leaned back, acting like he was bored. "Well, I always figured he'd be more into girls who can hold their own. He seemed to get along well with the girls on Ryuunosuke's team. I heard he was talking with those two girls on his team a lot. And I heard Sakura's started some of her clan's special training."

Ino silently promised Michiko and Yoko death threats if they came within 100 feet of her Sasuke ever again! Outwardly she gave a growl. "Oh yeah? Sasuke-kun wants strong? I'll show him a strong girl when he gets back! Oh yeah! Let's go, everyone!!" She stood on her chair and slammed her foot on the table, fist trembling in front of her, as if daring the world to tell her different.

Asuma smiled. Two down. But he felt that the last member of their little group wouldn't go peacefully. "All right! Everyone ready? Then we're off."

Shikamaru just gave him the _'What, you mean me too?' _look. "Nah. You've already been working me to the bone. Make them sweat a little more. I'm going home to take a nap."

Asuma just gave his loud laugh. "AHAHAHAHA! No you aren't! You're in the Chunin exams finals! You have to train! Nope, no choice, now get up!"

"Ah, whatever! I've earned a break." Shikamaru closed his eyes, figuring it'd be easier to just use his ears. "I bet everyone else gets breaks. I doubt Naruto's even training. He probably just ran away to goof off."

"Shikamaru, how can you say that?" Choji asked, voice muffled by food.

"Choji! Don't talk with your mouth full! It's discusting!" Ino shouted.

Choji gulped down the food. "Sorry, Ino." He spoke only to Ino. He knew she was the only one he offended. "Shikamaru, how can you say that about Naruto? He's been missing for over a month! He hasn't even been at Ichiraku's!!! This is an emergency!!"

Asuma shook his head. "Not anymore. The Hokage cancelled that a while ago. He said Naruto would be back in time for the Chunin exams. He didn't say it, but I got the feeling Naruto was _training_!"

Shikamaru opened his eyes for a moment, but that was it. "Yeah, whatever. That doesn't mean I need to."

Asuma rubbed his forehead. He didn't want to use his secret weapon now…but it was all he had left to get the lazy boy up. He'd train…if he valued his life.

"Well…okay, Shikamaru, you can have the day off. In fact, take a month off! It's fine with me. It'll just me me, Ino, and Choji. Well, let's go!" Ino and Choji sighed, finishing up the last few pieces of barbeque. (Ino nearly lost her hand when she tried to reach for the last piece).

Shikamaru reached up and stretched his body, prepared to practice his sleeping skills.

"You know what, guys? I'm bored. I wanna have a little fun. How about we go tell some of the villagers a funny story?" Choji and Ino gave him confused looks, but Shikamaru sighed, knowing what was coming. "Why don't we go tell some of the villagers how Shikamaru beat Yoko?" Choji blushed and Ino gaped.

"…He'd be found dead an hour later next to a happy mob of half the village." Choji commented.

'_Yeah, the female half.' _Shikamaru thought. "Alright, fine. I get the message. Let's go" He gave up.

Shortly after, Asuma left with his pupils and a huge grin on his face, extremely happy with his work. _'They need to learn to never mess with the master.'_

**Break**

"Gah! I'm bored!" Michiko shouted in their hotel room. "We've been here for over two weeks and it's just been our usual training! Why'd we come here anyways?!"

Yoko shrugged. "Who knows? I'm sure there's a reason we're out here. This is a mission, after all." She was sitting on the windowsill at the stars in a pair of blue sweat pants and a green top that reached her knees in a skirt-like section.

Michiko sighed and fell flat on her bed. She was wearing a red sleep-robe tied around her waist with a soft red belt. Both wore their hair down, preparing for bed. "Ah, well, maybe only Ryuunosuke-sensei has a mission, and we're just tagging along for training." She thought out loud.

Yoko nodded. "That would make sense. He had disappeared during half our training sessions."

Michiko stretched, setting her head on her pillow. "Heh. I guess so. Ah, oh well! At least we still get paid!"

Yoko chuckled. "Heh. I guess that's true."

Suddenly the door came bursting open. Both reached for their kunai placed on their nightstand, but quickly put them down seeing Hotaka step inside the dark room wearing brown sweatpants and a large white shirt.

"You two asleep?"

"Nope" Yoko responded.

Michiko's eye twitched. "If we were changing, we would kill you."

Hotaka chuckled and held his hands up in his defense. "Jeez, alright, alright! It's not like there's anything to look at, you kno- Oof!" He was cut off when a pillow sailed straight into his face, courtesy of Michiko.

"…Pervert…" Yoko sighed.

Hotaka removed the pillow and used it as a seat. "I came with some happy news and you attack me, jeez…"'

Michiko turned on the light, brightening up the room with light, and bringing the small bedroom into light. "What's this about? Did Ryuunosuke find any good news when he visited the village yesterday?"

Hotaka nodded and grinned. "Yup. Naruto's safe, and Sasuke came by Konoha to grab some supplies the other day."

"Wow! So Naruto is alive!" Michiko said happily.

"Like you had any doubt? He'd probably go berserk if anyone tried to kill him." Yoko thought. "But Sasuke came. How's he been?"

Hotaka shrugged. "Ryuunosuke-sensei didn't say much about him when he got back an hour ago, just that he's showing big signs of improvement. I don't think that they actually talked."

"Ah well. I guess that's to be expected from Sasuke. He's probably got his mind on the finals." Michiko said, getting comfortable under the covers. "At least now we know Naruto's alive. That's a big worry off of my mind."

"Same here." Said Hotaka. "Now, Naruto's still not back yet. Ryuunosuke-sensei said the Hokage was vague on this, but he's probably training in another town, probably another country."

"And who's teaching him?" Yoko asked.

Hotaka shook his head. "I don't know, but Ryuunosuke-sensei said something about Kakashi-sensei saying how the man who wanted to teach him wore a large black cloak that covered his whole body, and he had really spiky blonde hair sticking out of the front of his hood."

Michiko shot up; a lightbulb had just gone off in her head. "Aha! I've got it! Maybe it's like his long-lost brother come to get him! They've both got spiky hair, and he was interested in Naruto! And Naruto doesn't have any family in Konoha, right?! Then it could be true!" She finished, happy with herself.

"…Okay…now let's forget the crazy girl living in her fantasy world, and get back to reality." Michiko shot Yoko a veeery dirty look.

"This man…he's strong." Hotaka continued. "Sensei also mentioned that he followed a squad of Jonin and the Hokage in the middle of the Chunin exams without getting spotted, and even Kakashi-sensei was worried about fighting him!"

"…Great. I'm surrounded by lunatics." Yoko threw her hand up in surrender.

"I'm serious! He was watching the first half of the preliminaries without getting spotted by anyone!"

Michiko still looked suspicious. "I find that hard to believe. The Hokage may be old, but I don't think he's gone senile yet."

Hotaka gave up. "I'm just telling you what sensei heard. If you don't want to believe it, then fine. I won't try to force you." He got up, and walked over to the door. "That's all he told me. We're up at six thirty."

"Ugh. Again? I need sleep!" Michiko wined.

"Then perhaps we should stop talking and get some rest." Yoko suggested, climbing into her own bed.

"Yeah, good idea. Ryuunosuke-sensei was beat when he came back, and told me everything with his face in a pillow. Well, I think I'll go join him." He turned the handle and stepped outside. "Well, see you two in the morning. Good night."

"Good night."

"G'night."

**Break**

Naruto had his hand on Cloud's back, hovering for a moment in the air over the hunched Cloud. He grabbed the back of his shirt, and pulled down, performing a falling knee on Cloud's back with such force that Cloud Strife actually collapsed under the force. Naruto continued through, flipping in the air and landing facing the recovering Cloud.

Cloud stood up with his battle face, and charged. He knocked away Naruto's sword guard with such force that Naruto actually lost his sword, listening to the wind around him to find his sword twenty feet away from him. Cloud swung his sword behind him, burying the tip in the ground and launching off it, kicking while using the sword as a ground. Naruto side-stepped and grabbed the leg, but Cloud kicked with his other leg, still using the sword to increase the force. Naruto leaned back to avoid it and grabbed it with his other hand. Spreading them, he jumped and used his airborne legs to kick Cloud's into the dirt. He leapt away, rolled, and was at his sword. And then, his senses warned him of the unknown figure behind him…

_Whack!!_ "Gah! Not again!" Cloud's shadow clone did it again! Over the past 40 days and 40 nights of training, Cloud kept up the little joke! It was just annoying, when he was trying to be serious about this training.

His shadow clones had all finished their individual tasks, and were now just rehearsing the basics of their new arts. It was annoying how Naruto would hear an explosion every now and then, only to turn and watch one of his clones jump up and down with joy. He hadn't once been allowed to dismiss them and gain their knowledge, not until training was done. He didn't know it was just another part of his training to keep focus on multiple things at once for long periods of time.

The gravity was now set at 1.5 times normal. Every time Naruto got used to the new gravity, Cloud raised it by 0.1 times normal, putting him back at a disadvantage. But he knew it would pay off in the end. Training like this was something someone like Sasuke would kill for. He knew he'd come back strong.

He had just two more weeks to prepare for the Chunin exams. He'd grown strong training with Cloud, and he already knew that he could hold his own against any of the other combatants, even Gaara of the Desert.

Naruto raised his sword, watching Cloud's shadow clone run up the cliff again, waiting for his next chance for _whack!_

Cloud jumped high into the air, striking down. Naruto rolled to the side just before Cloud hit, and spun his sword around trying to sweep out his feet. Cloud jumped low and leaned back fast, doing a fast and low backflip. Naruto saw the oncoming side swing, and blocked it with his vambraces. Using his other arm, he tried a roundhouse punch, trying to strike Cloud's cheek. Cloud weaved and kneed Naruto back, not giving the boy any time to recover before he rushed at him again.

Naruto was keeled over when Cloud rushed, but he could feel it was coming without looking, just by the vibrations in the earth, and the soft patter of his feet on the soft grass. Naruto rolled to the side, and pushed mana into his feet to jump back three times on the water, using his water walking skills to stay standing. Cloud joined him in just one. But Cloud didn't land on the water, he landed on his head, and pushed, hard!

The force sent Naruto beneath the water. This was a blessing in disguise. It gave him time to regroup. He spent ten seconds planning, before using his mana to propel him through the water, punching Cloud into the sky with him. Cloud let this happen, wanting to see just what Naruto would quickly do.

Naruto followed up with another sky kick, sending Cloud even higher, but just before he went too high, Naruto grabbed his shirt and brought him down on his knee, making Cloud gasp, just as Naruto clasped both fists and raised them high over his body, and brought them down on Cloud's stomach, sending him soaring into the lake. Naruto fell on the edge of the lake, quickly retreating a ways to gain the high ground.

Cloud climbed his way to the top of the lake, smirking, catching his breath from that devastating combo. "Impressive."

"What can I say? Forty days of training with you has got to be worth something, right?" Naruto grinned. Cloud just smirked. He didn't move. He could feel it: this time, Naruto would succeed in the task he had failed at from the moment they had arrived, and he would prove himself ready for battle.

There it was: the feeling of warning ran down Naruto's spine. In that one moment, everything changed: Naruto had been on guard for several days, knowing this was coming at any moment, but he had never stopped it. This time was different. With godlike reflexes, he spun around and raised his sword high, and he heard it. The hard impact of wood meeting wood. This time, the surprise strike met opposition, not a defenseless child. Naruto looked up, expecting to see a surprised clone, but he was smiling, gleaming with pride. "You've done it!" He said happily.

Behind him the real Cloud was charging behind him, ready to swing his sword from ground to sky. Naruto didn't look; he was so alert and felt so alive that he could just feel it coming behind him. He pushed up on his blade, knocking the clone's blade away for a moment, while sweeping his sword around beside him, and both wooden blades rose at once, blocking each other from the desired targets. As they passed the waist, Naruto jumped back to the recovering clone, keeping the motion of his sword as he turned while the sword passed over his head. The clone didn't have enough time to recover or evade, and stared as the sliver in the bright sky descended.

_Whack!_

The clone disappeared in a shower of smoke, and Cloud watched as the smoke cleared, as strands of shoulder-length golden blonde and black hair flew in the wind, with his sword at his side. His body, so much stronger than before, glistened with sweat, yet he held it with dignity. He was smirking at his deed, knowing he finally bested the annoying foe. His bright sky blue eyes shined, and for a brief moment Cloud swore the right one turned blood-red, but quickly returned to the glowing blue eye from before.

Cloud planted the wooden sword in the earth and slowly walked forward to the boy mere feet away from him. He was staring intently at the boy. Naruto's eyes were fixed on him, asking him what had just happened. Cloud stopped in front of him, letting the moment last. Naruto searched his eyes, and saw, for the first time, Cloud giving him a look of pride, pure pride. Slowly, he reached up and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and squeezed his shoulder. "You've grown strong, Naruto."

Naruto smiled at his teacher, and placed his hand on top of his. "…I don't…well, I don't know what to say, Cloud-sensei…" Cloud smiled at the title. "You've taught me more than anyone else ever could have, you saved my life, and you've made me strong. Strong enough to defend my home…strong enough to protect my friends." A single tear slid down his cheek, mixing with the sweat along his body. "Thank you, sensei." Cloud removed his hand and used both to hug his student, which the smaller boy returned. Slowly, they separated, yet kept smiling.

"Naruto…" Cloud broke the silence. "You're ready. Dismiss your clones, and gain their power, and you'll become more powerful than any of your other friends could hope to have become in this short time."

Naruto nodded as Cloud dismissed his own clones, but he wanted to do something else: he walked to the center of the lake, and watched as the other clones began to get the message and follow. Most walked, but Naruto watched as one jumped fifty feet into the air! He literally flew down to the center, and was the first there, earning him many claps and congratulatory shouts. The real Naruto watched one walk down without making a sound, or even a noticeable vibration in the earth, while another actually seemed to be pushing away the grass that he stood on, and even bend the water in the lake into little bowls as he walked.

Naruto looked around at them, and noticed how much he'd changed. All looked the same, but each held themselves differently. One had an animalistic look in his eyes, while another had a deep look of understanding in his, and another's kept scanning the terrain, taking every detail of his surroundings in. Naruto now understood just what Cloud was doing: it was like quickly making several pieces of a picture and hoping they all fit, instead of slowly painting the picture to perfection. But if there were any problems with the picture, he had time left to iron them out. They all nodded, and formed the dispel hand sign. Naruto, in an instant, gained all of their knowledge, but also the mental wear and tear, and found it hard to stand. Cloud ran up to him, catching him as he fell. Naruto looked up, and heard only two words before losing consciousness:

"Congratulations, SOLDIER!"

Next Time: War Will Put Us All Six Feet Under

**Notes**

Yes! The first chapter of this fic's one-year anniversary! And the first chapter in double-digits!

I'd like to give a shout-out to **Vegeta the 3rd**, who's been with this fic since the very beginning! Thanks for everything, man!

Important: I'm **not** overpowering Naruto! You saw Cloud in the beginning of the game! He'd never fought as a Soldier, and he kicked ass from the start! And now, Naruto's trained under the famous man who saved the world twice! So all power is fair. One more thing, notice how he failed the genin exam 2 times, but still graduated with kids his age! This means that he was taken in 2 years earlier than everyone, so he obviously has talent that's been laying dormant! HA!

I gotta give all truly dedicated authors some bows and claps! This is hard to keep up for a long time! Well, I'll work on the next chapter of Project rebirth: Unit One and I'll have that up soon (I promise! For real this time!) And I'll put the prologue for I Walk Alone (I may change the title. If I do, I'll put it in the new chapter for PR:U1).

Well, Naruto's in SOLDIER (Which will have it's name changed). Next time, I'll introduce a new character…in fact, maybe a few…yeah…probably a few…but one new major character.

Man, it's weird, but my favorite part to write was probably the part with team Asuma, with the ending as a close second. It was just more fun than the other times. I hope I did a good job on it.

I'm trying to recover my old rhythm. I guess I'm going through a storming stage, but I think I'm starting to perform better. I hope this chapter is better than my others have been.

This chapter was actually supposed to have already introduced the new character, but I found this ending point to be perfect where it was. Next time, I'll start out with Sasuke, and maybe I'll go into Sakura's training a little. (I REFUSE to have the useless Sakura for two and a half more years!!)

I'll go more into Ryuunosuke's team in the next chapter and the mission. And Naruto will get his first real taste of combat. The next one will be the last one before the finals of the exams.

Now, here are my thanks to you all!

**Knuckz**: That'll be in the next chapter, but it'll be something different than that. I think I'm starting to go too fast…ah well! It's fun! Thanks for the review!

**Vegeta the 3rd**: Yeah, that would've been cool, but I've already decided on what to do. I haven't seen your fics yet, but I believe you've got an active imagination from your comments, and I'll check them out when I have the time (but there're also about a billion others I need to check up on as well ( I'll be busy!) Thanks for that advice, and now I've put together a scenario for them getting together, along with a few other romances. And Reno and Rude were in my top five favorite characters in FFVII:AC, that's why I like using them! They were the comic relief we all needed. Cloud's friends are worried, but Tifa will help him soon…if you get what I mean…:) and I know it was a little boring last chapter, but it was necessary to explain some of it, especially for those new to FFVII, just like I did in chapter 2. I added breaks, and I'll try to go over my other chapters soon and add breaks. Check your shout-out, my friend! Thanks!

**Zerodragon**: I hope I haven't revealed too much about his parents. That's for a while, but if you guessed it, please don't tell anyone! Thanks!

**TrapedSoul**: No worries. If you didn't get it, then I kept the surprise for some of you at least! I'm glad you like the whole evil among good thing. I personally believe in ying-yang (you'll see some symbols of it in the next chapter!), and even in the organization that wants to regenerate the world will have some evil in it. And yes, there will be death, and a lot of it, just like in the new Harry Potter book (the best guy just had to die…) Well, thanks for the review!

**CodeKyuubi**: You've only seen the surface of the WRO. Next chapter, a new face of it reveals itself! But yes, there are friends there that lighten it up. Ying-Yang, after all. Sorry I haven't checked out your fic yet, but I've got a job and it's hard to find time to even write anymore! WAAAH! Thanks for reading! I'll return the favor ASAP!

**Coheed 16 the man in the diary**: I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading my story!

**Moongoddess421**: If you didn't figure it out till the last minute, that's what I was hoping for! Thanks for the review!

**shikamaru the nerd**: As you've seen, Naruto has not just been given power. Well, perhaps the Jenova cells, but everything else he earned with his own two hands! He worked his ass off at advanced gravity and split into several copies of himself (which he had to maintain for 40 days straight! Talk about focus!) He's earned all the power he's aquired, and he'll earn more overtime, but not all at once, and not just through things like items, like those vambraces. Those serve a big purpose. And Sasuke did take power from the seal, but he also had to work to gain power. He did train, but he also used drugs, so he did cheat. And they're on Gaia, the earth of FFVII. I checked it out somewhere, so it's legit. Thanks for reading!

**Star's dreams**: YES! Thank you! This made my day, right here when I read this! I wanted to write so I could give my story to others and let them enjoy it! Thank you for saying this! Also, read paragraph 3 of the notes. You'll see just how he can absorb things so fast, or at least how I believe he can. Once again, thank you!

**FF-loverHP1**: No, no summoning material, but he'll get some special new Materia that I thought of next chapter! After all, he already has the wolves, one of the nine sacred scrolls! That'll do him.

**Perception117**: I always liked slow stories. It's easy because both Naruto and FF stories are slow stories, so I'm trying to write it like a mix between the two. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

**Frytrix**: Thanks. I try to make them good. Thanks for your support!

**Aquakyuubi**: Yup! I do my best! Thanks for the review!

**causeiambetta**: I'm glad to know that you enjoyed the second chapter. It was hard to write because I knew most people knew what happened, but it had to be done for those unfamiliar to Naruto, and I tried to make it flow and be fun at the same time. I'm glad you find that I succeeded! And one way that I avoid missing details is using my manga (yes, I bought the manga instead of downloading it :) it was worth it), and I have a good memory of things I consider important, and Naruto and FF stories are _very_ important! And I personally never really liked Hinata up until the preliminaries. Although, she still couldn't stand on her own two feet. I wish she would. That's why I don't really like NaruHina stories. I just think Hinata needs to learn to stand on her own feet and walk forward. It's part of growing up. Right now the Kyubi is dormant, but the unstable power of the cells is being used. Soon, I'll reveal what's happening with them. Thanks for reviewing!

**Death Incarnate**: It makes me happy to see that people enjoy my story and writing style. I like to say that I'm good at it, but I'm never good at judging myself :P Thanks for the comment!

**Ero-kun**: I agree, dying Naruto can be sad, but sometimes I find these stories have deeper meaning in his death. Those ones I find entertaining. But yes, Naruto dying is sad! Whether he dies in this one, I shall not say! Thanks for reviewing!

**raziel44**: I have a reason for not letting him come back, and it's only one chapter away. Then, Naruto's gonna come back and the Chunin exams will begin! And besides, the next chapter will be veeeeeeery fun! I promise you!

**Demonkid**: I'm curious how you could predict it from chapter 2. The only new thing was the red eye, and I haven't even explained what that's about in the story! Well, thanks for reviewing! I'll get more up soon!

**Kaja'Rang**: The stigma is the body overreacting to the Jenova cells, which are Naruto's true power. They tried to take control of his body and find the others, but Naruto's own will and sense of self kept it dormant with the fox's help. That about sums it up! Thanks for reading!

**ACTION NARUTO LOVER**: I don't remember saying it wasn't, but NaruXOC is my favorite pairing, just because I don't really like any of the girls in Naruto (they tend to be weak, or jerks, and my favorite, Tenten, is hardly gone into at all, so she could be considered an OC!) And there shall be more! My next story will be an OC pairing! There shall be more!

**Panterra**: Thanks for the encouragement. I tried to make Michiko likeable and in some ways similar with Naruto, because everyone loves Naruto! You can't hate the guy! Thanks for the review!

**Dawnyu**: I'll keep the updates coming as long as there's a reason for me to post them! Thanks for the support!

**ApocSM**: I've been going through plot changes recently, including some very important ones, but I think the new plot will be better than the old! Thanks for your support!

And now…the thing I forget about every time…

**I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR FFVII OR ANY OTHER COPYRIGHTED STORIES I'VE USED! BUT MANY OF MY OC'S I DO OWN! THERE! ONCE AND FOR ALL, THIS IS THE ONLY TIME I'M EVER GOING TO SAY THIS!!**

And now…

**Fic Fact**

Originally, I was going to put all the training into this chapter, but it would take too long. So, I'll just put little tidbits of the training in later. Besides, endless training is rarely fun to read!

Alright, so that's all! I hope you enjoyed it! Until next time!

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


	11. War Will Put Us All 6 Feet Under

**The Paths We Walk**

War Will Put Us All Six Feet Under

"_I imagine only a few can imagine how I felt when Cloud called me a SOLDIER. It was the first time someone had openly accepted me into an elite group, and recognized me as someone worthy of power. I'd almost lost hope when I learned of the power sleeping inside me. But Cloud believed in me, and never gave up on me. When I think back, I consider this moment in time to be the second biggest turn in my life to this point, ranking only behind when I conquered the great trials."_

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Naruto's eyes fluttered open, only to snap shut upon meeting the harsh gaze of the sun. It was early, not yet before lunch. He stared at the light through his closed eyelids, waiting for his eyes to adjust. After a minute of waiting, Naruto sat up, but immediately sensed something was wrong.

Without a moment's hesitation, he reached over to where his wooden blade was placed, and spun around, noting how much lighter it seemed, and blocked the oncoming blow from a similar training blade.

Cloud smirked, lowering his training sword and burying the tip into the ground. Naruto stood up and did the same, suddenly feeling a very empty feeling in his stomach.

"How long have I been out?" Naruto asked.

"Well…lemme put it like this: you've got nine days until the Chunin exams begin." Cloud said matter-of-factly.

"WHAT?! Damnit! I bet I've been spending more time recovering these three months than training!" Naruto whined.

Cloud held out an arm, bringing it up to his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll do fine. You're obviously at first class level in SOLDIER, same as when I finished the procedure."

"Yeah…but still, isn't it odd to gain so much power in such a short period of time?"

Cloud chuckled. "So, you remember everything from training?" Naruto nodded. "Good. Today, you'll be heading out to one of our new bases, located near the materia cave just to the southwest of Kalm. There, you'll receive your new equipment and be given a briefing of your position."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I remember. Kalm isn't too far from here, right? Just a few days to the north?"

Cloud nodded, and handed Naruto a map. "That's right. This map will help you if you run into any trouble."

"Yeah…I got that…but…"

"…But what?" Cloud's question was answered by a loud growl of protest from Naruto's shriveling stomach. Naruto reached back and scratched the back of his head.  
Well…it looks like we should have one last meal before you set off." Naruto nodded in agreement, and followed Cloud over to the supply area.

The two partook in a feast long since overdue: for cloud, three steaks, mashed potatoes with gravy, peas, some corn and some fine wine, all cooked and brewed by Tifa herself. It could easily serve four people. And for Naruto…

"RAMEN!!!" He shouted, breaking into a run to meet his first love. Cloud chuckled. He knew it would be worth it to go to Naruto's world to buy him his favorite treat.

The two sat in the grassy fields, eating faster than snow melts in a volcano. Within minutes, both had full bellies, and were just lying down on the grass, enjoying each other's company.

Naruto looked away from the Clouds to look at the man named after them. "So Cloud, when do we leave?"

Cloud didn't meet his gaze, but gave a sigh as he gave his answer. "I won't be coming with you. I've got a meeting with the rest of the higher-ups of the WRO." Cloud instinctively covered his ears.

"Wha?! So I'll be going by myself?" Naruto shouted, sitting up.

Cloud removed his fingers from his ears and began to listen to Naruto rant about how going alone would suck. "Sorry, but I've gotta go. I represent the new SOLDIER unit, and this meeting is for all the head of operations."

"SOLDIER…are there any more?"

"Hmm?" Cloud said, looking over at him.

"Are there any more SOLDIERS, other than just us?" Naruto asked again.

Cloud smirked, and nodded. "Yup, there's another one."

Naruto's face lit up. "Really?! When do I get to meet them?"

"Right now, if you want." Naruto said nothing, waiting for him to continue. "He's over there, in those trees."

"…How long has he been spying on us?" Naruto asked.

"About a half hour. I told him to be here later, but he's always getting things done fast."

Naruto stood up, and peered off into the nearby woods. There wasn't much there. Just a few trees leading higher up into the mountains. Naruto got up and strapped his wooden blade behind his back. Cloud watched as his former apprentice slowly made his way to the forest, ready to meet his new teammate. The walk was short, but Naruto kept a straight face, remembering how it wasn't wise to go into something unknown with a look that gleamed of idiocy. He walked through the border of the woods, and the high branches began to obscure the light. Suddenly, something flashed in Naruto's mind.

He backflipped over an incoming arrow, just in time to watch it slice through two trees and bury itself deeply in the third. He turned around and drew his sword, preparing to engage.

Three more arrows flew at his head. Naruto leaned to his left, then right, then kneeled to avoid the third, and from kneeling jumped into the trees twenty feet up. Two arrows flew at him at once. Naruto pulled out his sword and used it to block, the sharp steel digging into the surface of the wood. Naruto pulled them out and threw them in the direction of where they came. He heard a slight shuffle, but that was all he needed.

Naruto sprang after the sound, following it deeper into the woods. He kept hearing the occasional patter of feet landing on wood. Soon, they were well over a mile into the woods. The chase continued, until Naruto's senses warned him of something odd.

He looked up just in time to see a barrage of arrows descending on him. Naruto quickly grabbed a branch and swung underneath it. All fifty arrows impacted on the tree, but Naruto's senses again gave him warning as he instinctively bent his legs and jumped down, soon followed by over fifty arrows as they ripped through the branch.

Quickly, Naruto landed on the ground, a little shaky, not yet used to returning to normal gravity, and rolled to the side, but not before feeling a shock run through his upper arm as two arrows pierced his flesh.

Naruto quickly got to his feet, not showing pain from the puncture wounds, all his thoughts on the fight. He unconsciously removed the arrows, and threw them next to their brothers. He spun around and swung his sword up, knocking away another incoming arrow.

Up in the sky, Naruto could see the archer, a figure cloaked in black against the sun, descending over him, bringing out another arrow. Naruto brought his sword to the side, and slashed upwards as the figure fired, shattering the wooden arrow, and continued around in a circle, knocking the bow out of the cloaked assailant's hands as he met the ground.

Quickly, Naruto hand-sprang back a few meters to get some distance as his opponent drew a short sword in his left hand and shield in his right hand from beneath his cloak. The blade had a blue gleam to the steel, as if it was glowing. It was about three feet long from blade to handle, and had a shining purple guard in the shape of a hawk spreading its wings, with an azul gem for the eye. The handle to the pommel was the tail of the mighty beast. The shield was a deep blue with a steel rim, and a dark purple hawk in the center, once again with eh blue gem for the eye. The hawk was silent on the shield, eyeing the prey ahead of it.

Quickly, Naruto charged to meet him, as did the cloaked figure rushed to answer. The figure pushed his shielded right arm forward to block Naruto's downward strike, and pushed it to the side as he stabbed at Naruto. Naruto let go of his sword with his right arm to knock it away with his wrists, still wrapped in vambraces. He followed up by kicking him in the chest, sending him back a few feet. But then, he disappeared. Or rather, moved so quickly Naruto's eyes couldn't follow. But it didn't matter. All those times getting whacked by Cloud had prepared Naruto, keeping him in constant alert. He knew that when he tried something, he would sense it.

Such a thing happened moments later. Naruto backflipped as the cloaked man tried to stab him from behind. He landed behind him, and rammed him with his shoulder, causing his opponent to stumble. That was all Naruto needed. Quickly, he lunged forward and punched him into the ground, and raised his sword for the final blow. But not everything went as planned.

The other being sprung up from the ground, almost as if uninjured, and slashed the blade as it descended, cutting it in two. The lead weight flew out, and fell to the ground, cut in two from the cut. Naruto stared at his useless stub, and threw it to the ground, readying himself to use his martial arts.

"That's enough, you two!" Cloud shouted, landing between the two. Naruto quickly lowered his guard, and surprisingly, so did his opponent. Cloud quickly glanced at Naruto, then at the other figure. "Well, what do you think."

The figure shook his head. And then he spoke, in a young voice, one belonging to one only just into his early teens. "Not as useful as I'd hoped. He's improved, I'm sure, and I'm sure he'll be useful against the grunts, but he's not ready for the elite yet." Naruto steamed at this comment, sending him a dirty glare.

Cloud turned around and patted Naruto's head. "Well, I'm sure it would've been different if Naruto had the Buster Blade. He's shown incredible progress, enough for me to call him SOLDIER, first class."

But he just shook his head. "He's only been training in a controlled environment. Here he may test at that level, but the real world's completely different."

Cloud smirked. "He's seen real combat before we met him."

"But not like this!" He shouted. "Against an Elite, against even a low-level Chosen, he wouldn't make it. And I'm sure he hasn't taken life. When he is faced with it, he will run, or freeze up at the least. And then what? He will flee from the battlefield, scarred for life. Is that any fate to give to someone so young?"

"Hey! I'm right here, ya know!" Naruto grunted, giving him another glare.

The boy looked at Naruto, and chuckled. "You think you got what it takes to fight alongside us? Fine. I'll play along for now, or as long as Cloud requests it. But I bet you'll get killed before we get very far." He sighed at the mess he just resigned himself to. "Cloud has faith in you, but I won't give you mine so easily."

"…Just you wait." Naruto warned him.

Cloud sighed. He'd known it wouldn't go as well as he'd hoped, but still…this was a disaster. "Look, you two had better learn to get along. You'll be traveling to the base between the Midgar area and the Grassland area; the mountain base under construction. There, Naruto will be given the majority of his SOLDIER gear before returning to Konoha for the Chunin exams. Are we clear?" Cloud asked.

Naruto nodded. "I see…in that case, perhaps we should go individually."

"No. It's necessary that you two learn to work together. Don't forget, the three of us are a team."

The figure sighed. "Yeah…I know that…"

Cloud nodded, smiling. "Alright. Now then, why don't you two introduce yourself. Oh, and there's no need for that stealth cloak here." The boy nodded, and removed the final straps of his cloak. Underneath, he wore loose blue pants, and a large brown leather woodsman's studded shirt tied over with a belt, and a brown quiver half-full of arrows. His shirt had a picture of a black hawk on the back of it, the mighty bird in full flight, with wings reaching around the shirt to cover the chest of the shirt. He wore combat boots, the same as Cloud. At his sides were his sword sheath on his right, and a small knife about a foot long at his left. His sheath also had another smaller sheath attached further down, which contained nothing more than a small hunting knife. He had a gun over his supply pouches on the back of his belt, and a small golden locket around his neck, hanging just at the cleft of his collar. He had violet eyes that could penetrate anything, and dark blue hair, almost bordering black tied in a ponytail traveling halfway down his back. He was young, only about fourteen, and about three inches taller than Naruto.

"My Name is Arash. I'm a ranger, allied with the WRO. I'm a member of SOLDIER, just as you are, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto nodded, understanding that an introduction was not necessary, though something still felt imcomplete. "Your surname?"

Arash shook his head, ponytail flying. "Don't have one." His tone told him that he wanted it to be left at that. "We should go. I want to get a good start before nightfall."

Naruto turned, ready to leave the forest, but Cloud held him back. "You go ahead, Arash. I need to have one last talk with Naruto before you leave." Arash nodded, respecting their privacy, and grabbed his bow and undamaged arrows before leaping into the trees.

Cloud looked Naruto in the eye. "I'm sorry about that. He doesn't exactly trust easily."

"Why not?" Naruto asked. Cloud just shrugged.

"It's complicated. Just leave it at that for now. Besides, you'll have plenty of time to get to know him as you travel. It's a four days walk to the base."

Naruto nodded, and turned to leave, but Cloud placed his hand on his shoulder. Naruto slowly turned around, wondering what else Cloud had to say. Cloud reached behind his back, and pulled out the Buster Blade. "You're ready." He said, handing him the enormous blade. It was shimmering with the small light that seeped its way through the trees, shining in all it's glory.

"Take this blade, and never forget the reason you wield it. And never forget those you will lose along the way." Cloud said, slowly extending the handle of the blade to Naruto. "Bring some light to these dark times."

Naruto slowly extended his hands, grasping the red handle, and feeling an odd connection as he touched it. Cloud released the blade, and Naruto felt himself compensate for the weight, suddenly happy he'd been training in extreme gravity. He lifted the blade up almost easily, raising it to the sky. He watched as the sunlight played happily along the steel, giving him a sense of ease and calm. Slowly, he lowered the blade and placed it in a strap behind his back.

"I won't forget. I promise."

Cloud smiled, and reached out to hug the boy. "Good luck, my friend. And until we meet again."

Naruto hugged him back, and smiled. Then, he turned around and began running off into the forest, waving his arm as he ran, signaling good-bye. Cloud waved back, even though he knew Naruto couldn't see it. But it felt odd, letting him go off on his own. Sighing, he turned around and began heading back to the top of the mountain, where a helicopter would be waiting to return him to headquarters.

**Break**

Vincent and Victor stared unhappily at the building plans, which were currently two days behind schedule. They had the upper section complete, but the larger underground portion was still being constructed, via moving dirt through the lifestream and planting buildings pieces in then space created. Still, they were encountering various problems with their gadgets, and it was causing delays.

"…At this rate, the building won't be complete until spring of next year. Vincent said, irritated with the construction planning.

Victor sighed. "Well, we should be happy that we haven't lost anyone from traveling through the lifestream. There may be a few minor bugs, but the people who invented the portals definitely did their job."

Vincent nodded. "Yes. I'd expect as much from people I'm placing my lives in."

"Well, at least the sleeping quarters are all finally ready. Now we won't have to see people sleeping in the hallway in the middle of the night."

"And ever since we've given up those rations for a cafeteria, everyone's been showing signs of improvement." Vincent thought out loud. "I must admit, our cafeteria food is quite delectable."

Victor nodded, giving a small sigh of content. "Yeah…this place isn't so bad…and being over a hog springs water source has some great advantages." Vincent smirked. He had to agree. "Even with a few delays, I think it will be well worth it in the end."

Their conversation came to an end as an announcement was made over the intercom: "Would Mr. Valentine, Prof. Weary and Tseng, head of Turks please report at the primary base entry location at once. We have guests wishing to speak with you." Said a lady with a pleasant voice.

"…Why can't they just call it the front door like the rest of us?" Vincent asked, bringing a chuckle out of Victor. The two turned around, and exited the dark room full of blueprints along the walls. They walked down the white sub-hallway to the main hallway to the main hallway, marked H-5 in bold red letters. They continued until they came to an elevator which was already carrying the head of the Turks, nodding at Tseng in greeting as they entered and pressed the up button. The steel door opened, and the three stepped in. Then, Victor pressed the button marked '1', and the elevator began its ascent from B-H, or basement H, to 1.

"Who do you think it is, Vincent, Tseng?" Victor asked.

Vincent shrugged. "No idea. It's a little late for a welcoming party. Most people tend to be avoiding this area anyways."

"Well no wonder, with us coming out of thin air. They've got every right to be cautious. Besides, it just makes our jobs easier." Tseng responded.

"Indeed."

The elevator came to a stop, the steel door slid to the side, and they both stepped out into a large room, with a reception desk at the front. The room was large and covered in white marble tile, with a red carpet leading to the maple wood reception desk. There was a large chandelier on the ceiling, about fifteen feet up, light from the bulbs inside illuminating the glass ornaments. The walls were peach with portraits of famous historical figures lining the wall, and lined with red chairs, from simple loveseats to couches that could seat five people, along with several one-person chairs around circular oak tables. This was the first floor, the reception level.

Vincent nodded to the receptionist who had called them, a young woman with brown hair tied in a bun with glasses, and she nodded, walking over to the elevator and getting in to take a break. After she left, the three turned to meet their guests: the Third Hokage, as well as Hyuga Haishi, Namiashi Raido, and a squad of ANBU. Vincent grew grim, and turned to Tseng, who nodded.

"If the Hyuga clan head tries any of his Byakugan spying, we'll have no choice but to end his life." Tseng warned.

"We did not come here with that intent." The Hokage assured them.

"We'll play back the security tapes to see if you speak the truth." Vincent warned them.

Hiashi sighed. "I do not know how you learned of the Hyuga clan and of it's jutsu, but I can assure you we are here for other reasons."

"Please expain." Victor said, offering the floor in an attempt to ward off any other hostilities.

The Hokage nodded to Hiashi. "In nine days time, we will be holding the Chunin selection exam finals in the Grand Konoha Stadium. As an act of friendship, we have reserved three front-seat rows for your party, if you should choose to attend."

"…The sudden courtesy is unexpected." Vincent stated.

Raido stepped forward. "Hey! You're our guests here! Return the host's respect when it is given too you." Raido demanded.

"We are under no such obligation. We haven't exactly been welcome here of late." Tseng replied. "And just for the record…shouting in your guest's face aren't exactly prefect etiquette either."

Raido stared, before calming himself, stepping back beside the Hokage in some light shame.

"Enough!" The Hokage interrupted. "We have merely come here to deliver an invitation. Think of it as nothing more than that." He said, handing them an envelope with the fire country wax seal closing the envelope. "If you should choose to attend, you may bring approximately fifty people." The Hokage went silent, waiting for their reply.

"…Perhaps, we shall take you up on your offer." Tseng said.

"But if we do attend, it will be with far fewer than fifty people. One row will be sufficient."

The Hokage shook his head. "You're still bordering intruders. Understand that. You shall be allowed to attend, but the ANBU shall be watching for anything suspicious."

"Why you-" Vincent began, before Victor slapped his hand over his mouth.

"We have no reason to commit any offences, therefore we have nothing to fear. That will be satisfactory." Victor said, trying to smile.

The Hokage nodded. "Very well. We'll see ourselves out." Victor removed his hand from Vincent's mout, and both groups bowed, and the Konoha shinobi left for the door. When the door slid shut, the three turned to each other.

"Well? Should we attend?" Victor broke the ice, speaking what was on everyone's mind.

Tseng turned away. "I was planning on attending to gather intelligence anyways. This just makes it easier."

"…I'll think about it." Vincent said, preparing to return to the blueprints room, shortly followed by Victor, who nodded in agreement.

**Break**

Naruto and Arash continued across the hills, leading to the hills. After just traveling for one day, things weren't going well.

"Look, just leave me alone, alright?!" Arash shouted over his shoulder as they climbed another hill.

"Hey! I'm not the one with the attitude problem!" Naruto shouted back.

"Look, will you just shut up?! We've still got at least four days before we reach the base, so keep it down until then. I'm sure you'll find some sort of idiot to talk gibberish with there." Arash said, losing his cool.

"…You really are a jerk, you know that?"

"Whatever." Arash said. He stopped on top of the hill, and noticed how little grass there was. He looked up, and noticed that the sun was setting. It would be clear tonight, so they didn't have to worry about rain, and if anything unexpected arrived, they would have the high ground. "We'll rest here tonight."

"Yeah, fine." Naruto muttered, not meeting his eyes. They both put down their weapons, and began searching for any wood from surrounding bushes that would work for a campfire. The regrouped, and Arash used some fire material to ignite the small campfire. By now, the sun was down, and crickets could be heard chirping happily in the distance. They both sat down on opposite ends, enjoying the warmth the fire offered.

"…Soooooooo…" Naruto began, trying to make conversation. "How did you join SOLDIER?"

"Does it matter?"

"No, but we're gonna be working together, so we may as well get to know each other."

Arash shook his head. "It's not necessary."

Naruto glared. "What's your problem? You think you're too good to tell a rookie like me anything?

"Perhaps."

"You're so conceited." Naruto said.

"Where do you get off calling me that?" Arash argued, beginning to raise his voice.

"'Cause you're a jerk! That's why!"

"Like any idiot like you could understand! Someone like you who's been living in a world of everlasting sunshine couldn't even begin to understand what I've been through!"

Naruto stood up. "Listen to me, you asshole! I don't know a thing about you, but don't even think about telling me that my life's been perfect! My whole past has been one bad memory!"

Arash stood up, towering over Naruto. "You just don't get it, do you?"

Silence. "…What are you talking about now?"

Arash turned around and gathered his gear. "It's nothing. Nothing that you could understand, anyways." Arash strapped his sword and knife to his side.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked.

"Hunting. I'm hungry. Just stay here and stay out of trouble." Arash commanded, Shringing his wooden longbow. It was only five feet long, but it was made of teak wood, and very powerful. "I'll be back in a couple hours."

"Hey, wait!" Naruto shouted as he began walking off. "Don't think we're done here!"

"Oh, I think we are."

Naruto growled. "Fine! Go then! Happy hunting!" Naruto shouted, dropping back down to the fire and throwing in some more kindling. Arash gave a heavy sigh and walked off, alert for any sound of movement.

**Break**

The fields were fairly deserted, mainly covered with insects and small mammals, but Arash knew there were other larger animals in the area. There were broken branches lying near small trees, and scat in random areas. After a half hour of tracking, he finally encountered a small heard of deer five hundred meters away, and loaded an arrow. Using the moonlight, and his knowledge of the deer's body, he calmly waited, until one of the deer bent down to take a bite to eat, and fired. His arrow flied straight and true, soaring straight through the area where the brain meets the spinal column, and watched as the beast fell. Other beasts, frightened, tried to prance away, but Arash had already loaded another arrow and fired, taking down another in the same manner. Arash jumped through the air and ran to examine his kills, before slitting their throats with his small hunting knife, letting the blood drain out of the bodies.

Arash quickly skinned the animals and began to cut up the meat, saving the good meat and leaving the rest for scavengers to take, when he sensed another presence. However, he didn't feel alarmed, and simply continued cutting.

"You're really harsh on the kid." The man said. His voice was deep, and he wore a brown tunic completely covering his body, and a brown hood with a blue veil covering his face, and a headband wrapped around the top of his forehead and hood, the ends flowing behind his head.

Arash didn't look up. He just continued his work. "He can't be trusted with this kind of responsibility. They're just asking for trouble."

The older man sighed. "Including Cloud?" Arash stiffened, but continued to work, clearing the calves and moving on to the thighs. "He trusts him."

Arash paused, trying to find the words he wanted to say. "I know that…but…"

"If someone you have complete faith in has complete faith in another, shouldn't you also have complete faith in that exact same person?" The man asked.

"…I know that, but it's just…I just…"

The man raised his head, understanding why. "Ahh…it's because he's had a childhood, isn't it?"

Arash's grip on the knife doubled, as he began to cut more vigorously. "That's not it."

"But it is. You envy him." He watched as Arash began stabbing the meat, tearing a small portion to shreds. "You envy him for the fact that his past is known, and he can be told at any time, but you, even after all these years, have nothing of your past." The man said knowingly.

Arash raised the knife once more, gritting is teeth, and stabbed right through the bone. Taking a deep breath, he raised his head, and crossed his legs. "…Why me?"

"Because there's no one else who can."

"I know that…but why do I have to suffer so much for it?" Arash asked, sadness clearly visible in his eyes.

"Arash…you're right. You do suffer." Arash said nothing, waiting for more. "However, you must understand that not all suffering is the same. You and Naruto have both suffered. You know of the Kyubi within him. He may only act like it, but his childhood has been full of bad memories. Both of you suffer, but neither of you can understand how the other suffers. And by pushing each other away, you only make each other suffer more."

Arash contemplated his words, still unsure how to act.

The man stood up, and reached into his pocket at his side, pulling out a knife. With lighting-fast movements, he cut up the remaining meat, and pulled out a sack to bag them in, handing them to Arash, along with the skins. "Think about what I said for now. Go back in an hour. He'll still be there, waiting for you." The man nodded at Arash, with Arash nodding back, and quickly, he disappeared into thin air.

**Break**

Baki entered the hotel he and his team were staying at, after just returning from the Sand Village after meeting with the Kazekage about the plans. And unfortunately for him, the first thing he saw upon entrance was none other than Sand's ultimate trump card, Gaara.

"Gaara…what is it? Make it quick!" Baki ordered.

"Postpone the invasion until after my second match."

Baki's eyes widened. "What?! B-but Gaara, the plans have already been made! We cannot make such a drastic change now."

Gaara's facial features did not change, but he gave Baki such a wave of killer intent that the Jonin almost wet his pants. "Uzumaki Naruto will defeat Hyuga Neji. When he does, I shall fight him in the second round, and then I shall go through with the plan. Those are my demands."

"Gaara, surely you-"

"You will make these adjustments, now. Otherwise, you shall not have my support." Gaara said, before walking past Baki out the door.

Baki growled, then slammed his hand against the table, smashing it. '_Fine! If that boy wants to fight both those kids, then we'll let him. It makes little difference in the end, I suppose._' He reasoned with himself. He sighed once more, and set back out for the Sand village, to inform the Kazekage once more of the changes.

**Break**

Naruto sat by the fire, poking the embers with a stick. It had been five hours since Arash left, and he'd been getting hungry. The fire had enough wood to last a couple hours, but that wasn't what made him upset.

"Damn him!" Naruto shouted. '_Why does this guy have to be such an asshole?! I foresee many problems ahead._

Naruto continued poking the embers when he heard footsteps. "Well, you finally back?" Naruto asked, adding some unusual venom to his voice.

"Oh!" Said a young, cheery male voice. "Sorry, I just stopped by here to see who was up here. Sorry to disturb you." The man said. He was wearing a brown tunic and a yellow backpack, with a yellow veil and a yellow headband that wrapped around his forehead and his hood.

Naruto turned around, and began apologizing. "No, no, sorry. I assumed you were someone else. Please, have a seat." Naruto insisted, patting the place next to him. The stranger sat down, and took out a knife from his backpack, along with some wood. Enjoying the warmth of the fire, he began carving. '_There's something familiar about him…I've heard this voice before…_' He tried to recall who the voice belonged to, but to little success.

"So, what's a kid like you doing out here?" The man asked.

"I'm heading north. I've got a task ahead of me."

"Part of the war?" The man asked.

Naruto quickly turned to the man, but settled down. "…Is it that obvious?"

The man turned to look at him through his veil. "To think…that one so young has become involved."

"I made a promise. To a very important friend."

"Does Cloud Strife have anything to do with this?"

Naruto gasped, turning to the man. "Wh-what?"

"Don't act so surprised. I've heard Cloud has been making a large number of unusual requests as of late."

Naruto continued to glare as the man carved the wood into a longer shape, trimming the lower back and part of the front. "You're a little too well informed."

The man laughed. "It's not exactly a secret. Everyone knows about Cloud, and about Arash, too." Naruto's eyes widened. "In fact, I heard there's a third SOLDIER in the WRO, one who wasn't raised under Shinra. They've kept it under wraps, but if it's true, everyone will know his name within 24 hours of an official statement."

Naruto took the information in, folding his knees up and placing his chin on them, wrapping his arms around them, and grinned. He may be different, but he was still Naruto, and knowing he was going to be famous put him on the point of screaming with joy. "Well…that's interesting…" Silence followed, broken only by the sound of the oblivious fire, crackling merrily before them.

"So then, if you're involved in the war, I suppose you're heading for that base under construction. And judging by how you answered my presence, I'd say you were expecting someone else, meaning you're not alone, and from your tone of voice, I take it you're on bad relations with said person, no?" His figure was taking the shape of a large animal, a few inches long, with four legs and a tail.

Naruto flinched at the last part. He remembered how he took it out on this guy. "Yeah…and right now, we're not on very good terms."

"Why?" The man asked.

"Well…we don't get along. He just doesn't trust anyone." Naruto didn't know why he was telling this man everything, but he felt a good aura coming from this man. Cloud had taught him how to sense aura, and how to judge someone off of it, and this man had a very warm and calm one.

The man sighed. "I see…and you're angry at him for not trusting you?" The man asked. Naruto nodded, bringing a soft sight from the older man. "Listen kid, you may be kind, but it doesn't work that way.

"What are you talking about?"

"Faith, child. Faith is build overtime, not over a day." He broke his gaze from his carving, now clearly a wolf, with a few details missing. "Have you even tried to look at it from his perspective?"

Naruto shook his head. "No…I haven't." Suddenly, he pumped his fist. "But you know, I've had some bad times too! Even if he has some bad memories, that doesn't mean he can go around treating others like crap!"

The man shook his head. "Look, boy, you may think you understand, buy you don't." Naruto looked at him, not following. "Even if you two have remembered pain, it is not the same pain. It's like burning and freezing. They both give pain, but are completely different. Rejection is not the same as a cut from a knife. You need to try to understand one another, even if you cannot completely understand them."

"But…I tried to understand! He just wouldn't let others in!"

The man sighed, and looked at his finished work: a lone worf, standing tall and proud against the darkness. "Look at this. I've been working on it ever since we started talking. It's a wonderful piece of work. And since I spent my time on it, a part of my life goes into it." The man said calmly, before throwing the wooden wolf into the hungry fire.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. He tried to reach into the fire to grab it, but the man's hand lashed out and grabbed his own. They both watched as the wolf turned black, and ignite, burning the work in just over a minute.

"Faith is just as that wolf is, Naruto. You can spend hours on it, perfecting it, shaping it in whatever way your mind and the wood can agree on. Yet, with just an accident, or at a whim, your work can be incinerated within the flames. If this happens enough, would you want to make another, spending hours, days, weeks, maybe even years on it, thinking it was just going to burn?" The man asked.

Naruto contemplated what he thought, slowly coming to a realization. Maybe Arash had been betrayed before, and could only trust a select few people. "Maybe…can one teach another that they bear a torch with only the meaning of bringing light to their world, not destruction?"

The man shrugged. "One can teach nothing. Teaching is impossible. One can only show them the way, so that they may discover the truth for themselves."

The man stood up, pulled out another block, and began carving. "Well, as our meeting comes to an end, I'm off on new journeys. Please enjoy yourself, and I pray you the best with your friend." The man said cheerily, walking away from the fire.

Naruto quickly turned around, and called out to the man "Wait!" The man stopped, and turned around. "Have we met before? I feel like I've met you before."

The man stayed silent for a moment, before shaking his head. "No. You never knew me before this day." The man once again turned around, but before he left, he gave one final message. "We will meet again, Mr. Uzumaki, and when your need is greatest, blow the ashes of the fallen wolf into the air, and look to the sky." He finished, vanishing in the darkness.

"Wait! How did you know my name?! Who are you?! Tell me!" Naruto shouted after the man, but got no response. Sighing, he sat back down, and used his sword to remove some lit logs from the fire before extinguishing the others with a bucket of water, gathering the ashes and placing them in a bag, ready to one day test the man's words. After gathering them, he gathered some dry wood and used the already-lit logs to bring forth a new flame.

Five minutes after he sat back down, he heard more footsteps. He turned around, half expecting the man to return, but only met Arash, carrying a large back dripping blood, and two deer skins over his shoulder.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey." Came Naruto's reply. Arash set up some sticks over the fire to roast the meat, and cooked it all over the course of two hours, during which the only sound came from the fire. After all the meat was cooked and the leftovers placed in a bag, they ate their portion, and prepared to go to bed.

Naruto knew he didn't have any sleeping gear, and was preparing to rough it, despite the freezing cold temperatures of the night, when Arash tossed him one of the animal skins. "It may smell bad, but it'll keep you warm." Arash said, wrapping himself in his own deer skin.

"Thanks…" came his reply, as he settled down and prepared to sleep. He didn't know where Arash got this sudden change of attitude, but he had a guess that that man in the brown tunic had something to do with it. Regardless, he vowed to try harder to understand Arash before they arrived as he closed his eyes and sighed, welcomed some much needed sleep.

Then he sniffed, and sniffed again, and his face twisted into something that would resemble a fangirl after Sasuke told them he was gay.

Damn did this skin reek!

**Break**

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Michiko roared as she charged at her sensei. Ryuunosuke slashed his kunai sideways, knocking the blades aside, and rolled away from Michiko, before he heard Yoko behind him. "Suiton: Suikei no jutsu, Shouaku!" She shouted, as he felt the moist water whips along his arms and legs, holding him in position.

Hotaka jumped out from a nearby tree in the training circle, and ran through a series of handsigns, and thrust his hands out, each holding a seed. "Mokuton: Mokunaoyakke no jutsu!" The seeds grew into a long stick, and wrapped themselves around Ryuunosuke, until he was completely bound within the wood.

Michiko came in once more for the finish. "Katon: Karyuuendan no jutsu!" She held in her breath, and then threw herself forward, releasing a wave of fire from her mouth. The wooden cocoon was blasted by fire, destroying everything within.

The three watched as the fire blazed, and slowly died. Then, from the ashes, Ryuunosuke arose, taking a deep breath, and breathing in the fire. His breath was long, until he'd eaten all of the flames. He let out a large breath into the air, releasing the fire into the sky, illuminating the training ground.

When Ryuunosuke had blown out the rest of the flame, he turned to his tired students. "You've all improved. Good work." He walked over to his panting students, and pulled out some health bars from his pocket. "Eat up. We continue tomorrow."

Michiko looked at the bar, and almost puked. "Aw, come on! We've been eating these nonstop for weeks! Let's go out and get some real food!"

Yoko stared at the bar in disgust. "I must admit, If we keep eating health bars, I think I'm gonna turn into one."

"There's a nice Ramen bar just up the street. Why don't we go there?" Hotaka suggested.

"Hmm…" Ryuunosuke thought. They weren't supposed to leave either the training field of the Hotel in case of an emergency, but so far, nothing had happened, and they'd be leaving in a few days anyways.

"Fine. Ramen it is, then!" He announced. Michiko jumped up and down in victory, Yoko threw the bar in the dirt and squashed it with her foot, and Hotaka smirked.

Five minutes later, the owner Obarashi Ramen stand really began to understand the phrase 'Iron Stomach'

**Break**

It was the third night of their little stroll through the countryside, and so far, nothing had really changed. The two would travel together, but never talk. They only informed the other of what they were doing. On the plus side, they wouldn't argue anymore, but they were still at square one of any sort of relationship.

Just an hour ago, the two had gone to sleep without a word of exchange, but the boy with golden hair and black bangs kept awake, staring at the sky.

It was a clear night, with starts shining, and a crescent moon shining through the night. Naruto watched with excitement as every once in a while a shooting star would shine through the sky. Tonight, he just couldn't sleep. He turned over to look at his partner, once again debating the option that had presented itself so many times the past week: should he read his mind?

Cloud had taught him how to view a few of the thought patterns with his new SOLDIER sense that came with the power of the cells. He could peer into what the person was thinking about, but it didn't go deeper than that for now. He knew it was an invasion of privacy, and that he shouldn't use it unless it became necessary? He sighed, not being able to figure out whether or not it was the right thing to do.

Trying to calm himself, he began to sing softly a song that he'd known ever since he was a child.

It began softly, barely above a whisper.

"Hush now, young one, close your eyes,

The monsters are not here tonight.

Close your eyes, forget your fights,

And go to lands fun and light.

Laugh and smile, play and be merry,

As you take a ride along the dream ferry.

And when you're done, look towards the light

Where mama will come to hug you tight."

His voice rose, as he began the chorus. It wasn't loud enough to wake Arash, just loud enough to be heard clearly.

"Breathe now, Sleep now,

The bad men will not come.

Run now, Play now,

Mama will keep you safe 'till you're done.

Forget the pain, let go of sorrow,

If only until tomorrow,

Where you and I shall meet again,

Heading home, to our promised land."

Naruto finished the chorus, and was about to continue before he heard some shuffling next to him. He whipped up, throwing off the deer skin, but only saw Arash staring at him, his face illuminated by the moonlight.

"Who was that?" He asked. Naruto looked down, not sure if he should say.

"…Who?" He asked.

"The woman who you sang about?" Arash asked.

Naruto took a deep breath, deciding to tell him. "It was my mother, or at least I think she is."

"Your mother?" Arash asked.

Naruto nodded. "I've never really dreamed in my sleep. Every time I fall asleep, I hear that soft, young feminine voice singing me that lullaby. It's always the same one, too." He paused, choosing his words carefully, and continues. "I think I'm in a meadow when she sings, full of beautiful flowers, and I can see a patch of light in the blue sky.

"…And what about the woman?" He asked.

Naruto shook his head. "I can't remember her face; all I can see is the light above her head, with myself, still an infant, in her arms. And I she's holding me, cradling me. It's one of the happiest memories I've ever had." Naruto finished.

"When do you sing it?"

Naruto took a deep breath, and exhaled. "Every night, after everyone else has fallen asleep. But…it looks like you weren't shut down yet, were you?"

"…What happened to her?"

Naruto lowered his head, struggling with the answer. "…She died."

Arash lowered his gaze, not really knowing how to respond. "I'm sorry…how did she die?"

"That's the sad part, I don't know how she died. I just know it, because…if someone loved me that much, they wouldn't abandon me. If she left me, she must have died…" Naruto concluded. "And even if she was alive, then she would have looked for me. I've never had someone like that in my life after her. I think my dad's gone, too."

"…I'm sorry to hear that."

"What about you?" Naruto asked.

Arash looked up in surprise. "Wh-what?" He stuttered out.

"What was your life before SOLDIER?" Naruto asked.

"Well…I don't know."

"What do you mean."

Arash sighed. "Well, I've had selective amnesia ever since I was eight. I can't remember where I came from or what I'm doing here."

"Amnesia? Don't they have a technique to uncover your memories?"

Arash nodded sadly. "Yes, but none have worked. The only thing I have from my past is a large scar across my entire torso; a giant X. I've visited some mages, and they said it was a powerful curse beyond their power to remove. For three years after that, I wandered around, not having any clue where I was going. I was just a worthless brat to everyone. And because of the recent wars across the world, Orphans were everywhere. The orphanages even had to turn some children away, it was so bad."

"Oh my…that's horrible…"

"Yeah…and I thought I was gonna starve, until one day, the Turks discovered me and took me for training. I felt like I grew wings, and I flew out of that scum-hole and into the light. In just six months, I was ready for some training. Of course, that was before Shinra fell."

Naruto had begun staring at the moon, noticing how Arash felt awkward under his gaze. "So what did you do after Shinra fell?"

Arash debated telling him, but decided against it. "To make it short, I trained. And then, after Cloud defeated Sephiroth again, he became an ally with the WRO a month later, and recruited me a week later. I've been working for the WRO for four months now."

"…Well, you're certainly talkative this evening."

"Same to you." They shared a short laugh before quieting down.

"So…" Naruto began, before Arash interrupted.

"You don't have to say it." Arash said, giving him a small smile. "Maybe now, we can understand each other, Mr. Uzumaki, if only just a little."

Naruto returned his smile. "Yeah!"

Arash smiled and settled down. "Look, we'll be working together for a while yet, so why don't we try to make it an enjoyable one?"

"Yeah…that sounds good." Naruto agreed.

Arash smirked. "Just don't pull me down, rookie."

Naruto twitched. "Hey! Just you wait! Soon, I'll be so far ahead that you can't even see me!"

Arash chuckled. "We'll see, Uzumaki."

"Oh yeah!"

**Break**

"Michiko, Yoko, wake up!" Hotaka shouted, barging into the girl's room.

"Gah!" Michiko shouted, toppling out of her bed. Hotaka walked up to her, watching her foot twitch in the air.

"Uhh…" Yoko said, putting down her book, not really knowing what to think of the whole situation.

"Get up, you two! Ryuunosuke-sensei wants us outside now! Get your ninja gear!"

Michiko sat up, kicking off the bedsheets. "What? Really? What's up?"

"Shut up and hurry! No time to waste!" He shouted, before running out the door.

"What was that about?" Michiko asked.

"I don't know, but maybe we should go ahead and get dressed." Yoko suggested.

"Hey! I want an explanation after I was so rudely awakened!"

Yoko sighed. "Oh yes, and you're the epitome of manners!" She said sarcastically.

"Damn straight!" Michiko said smugly.

"…That was sarcasm, dobe."

Michiko growled. "GAH! I'll get you, just you wa-"

"HURRY UP AND GET DRESSED, YOU TWO! OR DO I HAVE TO DRESS YOU MYSELF!!" Ryuunosuke shouted from outside. Michiko and Yoko both grimaced, and quickly stripped off their night clothes and tugged on their ninja gear. When they reached their teammates, they looked like they just fought a landslide…and lost…

"About time you two got here!" Spoke a guest.

"Who are you?" Michiko asked.

"I'm Aoba, and my area that my team was guarding recently spotted sound shinobi. I was ordered here to inform you, and to assist in any way I can!"

Michiko's eyes shot open. "Wait! What are you talking about?"

Ryuunosuke turned to his confused squad. "Only the team commanders were informed of the mission. Several teams have been assigned to various locations over fire country, and are to report to the other teams if they spot any sound shinobi, and eliminate them."

"So there was a purpose…" Yoko commented.

"So what do we do now?" Hotaka asked.

"I'll scout out the area for any shinobi, then rejoin with you later on. Meanwhile, I'll give each of you four a map with a location. Head there to the hotel where another squad is staying, and inform them to sweep the forest."

"But what about this forest?" Yoko asked.

"I'll handle anything here. You go. We'll all meet back tomorrow at noon in two days time! There's no time to lose!"

"Bu-" Michiko began.

"GO!"

Hotaka, Michiko, Yoko and Aoba took off without a second pause. None of them had ever seen Ryuunosuke so uptight.

Seeing that his squad were all heading to their requested destination, Ryuunosuke headed into a nearby forest next to the town. He slowed down as he entered, alert for the smallest sign of movement. For a half hour, he would stay still, discerning sounds to small to be human, and possibilities for human presence.

Another crack. _That's the third one. They're definitely around._" He concluded, hearing a fourth.

Suddenly, four kunai carrying a net flew out of the trees, straight for Ryuunosuke. He jumped to the side, and charged at where the net flew from. While running, he flipped through some handseals, and held his hand to his mouth. "Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!" Ryuunosuke released the flame, but the fire was not orange or red, but an icy blue! The blue fire traveled through the trees, incinerating anything within them. He heard two bodies drop, and quickly spun around, hearing a third. He pulled out a kunai and blocked his opponent's knife, pushing it back, and slashed before his opponent could recover, cutting off his head.

He turned around, hearing clapping. "Well well, I never imagined they would place you on simple guard duty."

Ryuunosuke spoke calmly to the big man. "…Who are you?"

The man chuckled. "My name is not important, Ryuunosuke-san. Yes, I already read about you in the bingo book. The young man who left Kumogakure during the war for Konoha after fighting with the future Fourth Hokage. Konoha's Blue Dragon, Takahashi Ryuunosuke."

Ryuunosuke smirked. "Don't get so confident. You may think you know me, but the bingo book forgot to list a few very important facts."

"Oh, well, I'm sure. I assure you, I'm looking forward to seeing them myself."

Ryuunosuke narrowed his eyes. "You won't even get past my first level."

"Heh…we'll see about that!" The man roared, drawing a katana and engaging the Icy-blue haired man.

"Bring it on!" The sound shinobi slashed down, but Ryuunosuke blocked it with his kunai, and pulled out a second, slashing at his enemy. But the enemy used shunshin no jutsu, appearing behind him. Ryuunosuke ducked the kunai swipe, but lost a few strands of loose hair. He twirled around, trying to stab him, but just met another kunai. His enemy jumped back, trying a new tactic.

He flew through some handseals and created random earth spikes. Ryuunosuke jumped into the air landing in a tree, preparing his own jutsu. But he was too slow. The enemy came up behind him and threw several shuriken, which he just barely weaved to avoid. But that didn't mean he avoided the fist that bollowed.

Ryuunsuke fell out of the tree, and landed at the base of another, slamming his head against the back. The enemy landed in front of him, and tried to land a finishing blow, but Ryuunosuke began chuckling. The enemy took it as nothing, and slammed his Katana down.

Last mistake of his life.

Ryuunosuke backhanded the blade aside and kicked the sound shinobi into the air, letting him land several feet away.

"You're better than I expected…" Ryuunosuke began, chuckling in between. "Well then, no more chances. You'll die here."

"…What are you talking about? You got one lucky kick in, so what?"

Ryuunosuke was now laughing, not chuckling, but in full blown laughter. "You foolish little man…there's a reason my most powerful skills aren't in the bingo book…" He stopped laughing, and smirked. "It's because no one, with the exception of the fourth, has ever survived past level five."

Ryuunosuke raised his hands over his face. "I'm not taking any more chances with you. I've got more important things in hand…So, I'll go straight to level seven!" Icy blue Chakra burst from his body, surrounding him and cocooning him. "Let me show you…" The Chakra now encompassed his entire torso. "…why they call me…" It surrounded his neck. "…the Blue Dragon…!!"

The Sound shinobi gasped at the sight, dropping his sword, and falling to his knees. "I see…so that's why…"

There was no escape from this. It was over.

**Break**

"So, Arash, have you ever been to this base?" Naruto asked. They were almost at the base, and were currently walking up a large hill, from which they should be able to see the base.

"Yeah, but it was a while ago. There wasn't much installed yet, other than the basics. I believe that by now, there should be some defensive mechanisms installed, but other than that, I'm not sure what to expect." He replied.

"Hmm…" Naruto lost himself in thought, not sure what to ask next. Things may have improved between the two, but it was still fairly touchy. "So how many battles have there been?" Naruto asked.

Arash shrugged. "Not many. More like a few squabbles. But we know we're in for a big strike. The question is when."

Naruto nodded, but he still had one more question to ask. "So, who are our enemies? What are they trying to do?"

Arash became tense, more tense than usual. "We don't know. They just began attacking us for no reason, and any captives they have won't talk about much, like they've had their words limited."

Naruto nodded as they approached the top of the hill. "Well, it doesn't matter, I suppose. They're attacking us, and we have no choice but to fight back, right?"

Arash shrugged. "You could say that, but if we just leave it at that, nothing will change. We have to try to find out why they're attacking, so that we can make peace."

"…You're completely different now than when I met you, you know that?" Naruto noted.

Arash blushed a little from embarrassment, but shrugged it off. "Anyway…" He said, as he approached the top of the hill. "Allow me to present to you the fourth branch of the World Regenisis O…oh my…" Arash trailed off, freezing at his spot on top of the hill. Naruto, watching him, ran up beside him, and quickly matched his expression at the sight before him.

The new base, still under construction, was under attack!

The base was as large as a small town about a mile across, with several building in various places, and a fortified wall surrounding it, which had been breached and entered in several locations. Many of the buildings were in flames, and the echoes of explosions reached them in their silence. At one point, a building burst into flames, being hit by a small rocket launcher. In the center of it all, a large building, the command center, had muzzle flashes everywhere, trying to hold off the enemy until help arrived.

Arash was the first to break from the initial shock, seconds after Naruto joined him. "Naruto…we have to go…" When Naruto didn't respond, he put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, snap out of it! This is what we trained for! Even if you're a rookie, you're a SOLDIER! People are counting on you!" When this still didn't get through to him, he calmed himself, and used the same motivation he'd given himself when he entered his first battle. "Cloud is counting on you, too. Do you want to let Cloud down?"

"…N-No, no of c-course not…" Came Naruto's stuttered reply.

Arash nodded at the frightened boy. "This is your first real battle with thousands of enemies, isn't it?" He asked. Naruto nodded dumbly. "Don't worry, rookie. I'll look after you." Arash finished, drawing his bow, stringing it, and loading an arrow. He reached behind him and gave Naruto his handgun. "You've had basic firearms training, right?" Arash asked. Naruto nodded dumbly. "All right, let's go!" Arash shouted, charging down to the battlefield.

Naruto stood frozen for a moment, debating whether or not to run away, but he quickly repeated what Arash had told him: he didn't want to fail Cloud. Releasing the safety on the gun, checking the ammo and switching it to single shot, pulled the hammer and released, he ran after Arash, and to war.

**Break**

Reeve stood up at the head of a long oak table at the group before him in the grand hall of the WRO main Headquarters. To his right sat Cid, Cloud, Tifa, Vincent, Yuffie, Victor, Barret, Tseng and Rufus at the end. To his left were the Field Marshal and the Supreme commander of the infantry, The prime, vice, and rear admiral, and the financial advisor.

"Gentlemen, welcome! Let's get down to business. First off, we have a request from Field Marshal Williams to increase funding to infantry training. He states the purpose is to better equip our men in the fields with the knowledge they'll need to survive combat and emerge victorious. He requests Twenty billion gil to begin with. All in favor?" Rufus, Victor, Yuffie, and the entire left side raised their hands. "All against?" Cloud, Vincent, an Cid raised theirs. "And what problems do you see with this investment?" Reeve asked them.

Cloud spoke first. "We can't just go throwing around money every which way whenever something needs to be adapted. We need to prioritize these. Our financial backing and taxes collected will go dry if we keep spending them so recklessly." Cloud finished.

General Panglima rebutted "With all due respect, I seem to recall you asking for a few million just a few months ago to train your two recruits, money with which we could have easily trained and sustained over thirty troops with for a year. To add to that, you've been keeping to yourself more than usual, Mr. Strife. We haven't even received the full documents on either of your young prodigies. SOLDIER has been secluding itself from the rest of the WRO for too long. I do not see you with much room to talk."

"You know perfectly well that SOLDIERS are a necessity to fight the elites in our enemies armies. A fully trained elite could take out every last one of those trained soldiers, and save just as many. Perhaps you should take that into consideration before you begin nagging at the head."

Field Marshal Williams decided to join in. "Yet the quality of the majority of our soldiers is more important than a few elites. We need to remember that."

Yuffie, sensing the rising tension, tried to cool the embers that could start an inferno. "Hey, hey! We're all a team here, united against a common enemy! Let's remember that!"

"Yeah!" Tifa commented. "The army and SOLDIER are one. They can't win without the other!"

Barret nodded. "She's right! We got bigger fist ta fry! Let's keep that in mind before ya go off on each other!"

Vincent shook his head. "No, it's debate that keeps things from changing in the high court. If anything, we should be spreading it."

Admiral Jenkins nodded in agreement. "I agree with the head of the first branch. Without debate, we'd all just go along with whatever's said. And if we did that, then there'd be no point to this meeting."

"Yeah, so let's get going!" Cid said briskly when finding his chance.

Reeve nodded. "Well, either way, the request is approved by majority. You shall receive your funding, as you've requested by five days time. Now, onto the next request. This one goes to Ms. Kisaragi, head of stealth and reconnaissance. She requests five million gil and a team of chemists, pay not incuded in the initial request, to construct a smoke bomb that is capable of creating a smokescreen twenty five feet in radius with a temporary paralyzing effect to any who breath it in. All in favor?" Before the vote could take place, Nanaki, or Red XIII, as he was commonly known, burst through the door.

Reeve stood up, and welcomed him. "Well well, you're late. The meeting's already started."

Red XIII grunted. "I was late for a reason. The fourth branch under construction is currently under attack. The men are preparing to move out. We're just waiting for the order.

Shock spread throughout the room, yet everyone quickly kept their composure.

"…Very well, then. The meeting is temporarily adjourned. Everyone, get to your stations. We need to get there ASAP!" Reeve ordered as everyone got up and ran to their posts.

But just as Cid was about to leave, Cloud grabbed his shoulder. "I need a favor."

Cid turned around, seeming anxious. "All right pal, but make it quick."

"I need you to view the area with a camera and lock on to Naruto and Arash, then drop me onto their location. I'm sure they're there by now."

Cid looked skeptical. "You sure, buddy? How we even know if they're down there?"

"If they are, I have to keep them alive."

"Cloud, I understand how ya wanna keep yer comrades alive an all, but I'm sure those two can fend for themselves." Cloud still didn't look convinced. "Look, yer comin with me! If they're in danger, I'll drop ya with them. If not, I'll get you to the heart of the battle, sound good?"

Cloud, knowing that was the best he could hope for, nodded. "Thanks, Cid."

Cid laughed. "No prob, mi amigo! Now, let's get our boys suited up!"

Nodding, the two ran out of the room, preparing themselves, and their men, for the biggest battle of the war thus far.

**Break**

Arash rushed down the hill, drawing his bow, already loaded with an arrow. The bow itself had a draw weight of over 400 pounds, but for a 3-year veteran SOLDIER, he found the strength to manage the feat. He lined up his shot, and jumped. The moment he hit the point where he was floating without movement, he fired, sending the arrow through the armor and gut of one enemy unit and into the lower back of another, in both cases piercing vital organs. The two fell almost instantly; they were dead before they hit the ground. Arash fired three more, killing all five guards at a breach in the wall.

Naruto caught up to him just as they reached the fissure in the wall, and examined the troops. The dead men with white clothing and armor and grey chest and leg attachments for holding equipment and had insignia for WRO imprinted on several places on the armor. They wore no helmets, although many were seen wearing red hats with the WRO symbol on them. They were his comrades. The ones he was fighting side-by-side with for the sake of the planet. The others, the five that Arash had just killed, wore blue armor and clothing with strips of black along the sides, and wore helmets that covered their heads. They had black glass strips where the eyes were and a filter for air. These were his enemies, the ones who were attacking, and killing. Around them, scattered guns and blood littered the ground, proving that this was indeed a true battle.

Arash nodded to Naruto, who nodded back, and both entered the opening, both with weapons aimed, ready to shoot whatever moved.

Two shots came from above, but both had sensed the bullets ripping through the air, and backflipped out of the way. Naruto was looking up at where they were, and saw two muzzle flashes again, feeling a ripple past his ear. He raised his handgun and remembered back to his training.

"Naruto," Cloud began. "The handgun is a tool that was overlooked by Shinra, but if long-range combat is necessary, it's better than nothing. In order to use a standard SOLDIER handgun, release the safety, release the ammo cartridge and check the ammo, then re-insert it, pull the hammer back and release, and set the weapon using the switch on the side to either single-shot, semi-auto, or fully automatic. Then, point the gun, and aim it at the target, and just squeeze the trigger, like so." Cloud raised the gun and squeezed it, sending a loud bang across the area. "It's as simple as that. Other guns work in similar ways, but each is different. Remember that."

Naruto gently squeezed the trigger at his target, and shot. It was on single-shot, so only one of the twenty-five bullets fired. Unfortunately, he missed. He aimed again, and squeezed off two more shots, but neither met their target.

Suddenly, Naruto heard a twang and heard two arrows sing throught their flight, going right through the helmets of both snipers. Arash looked at his work and smirked, and nodded at Naruto to follow him. Naruto sighed, knowing he just wasted three bullets, but figured it wasn't a big deal. He was sure Arash had more cartridges. And even so, he still had his Buster Sword.

The two continued to run through the city of steel, noting the destruction done to many buildings that had been hit by missiles and bombs, and how many still had construction equipment around them.

At that moment, a squad of about ten enemy troops marched through an intersection. They were spotted, and the troops began to open fire upon them.

Naruto and Arash quickly took cover behind a tractor. They could hear the sound of the bullets hitting the steel goliath, and feel the rumbling of complaint as they laid back on it.

Naruto looked around, looking for a way to defeat them without placing themselves in danger.

"Okay, you'll be studying strategy over the next few weeks." Cloud said.

"What?! Why?! Can't I learn some new techniques?" Naruto asked.

"NO!" Cloud answered to the shadow clone. "Fancy moves won't get you out of situations where you're outnumbered every time. Sometimes, you'll have to use your mind and the environment to defeat your enemies." Cloud lectured.

Right now, Naruto was very thankful for that lesson as he saw a crane carrying a giant wrecking ball next to the enemies as he peered around the corner. It wasn't over them, but if they could get it to drop, it could destroy the building, and the debris would kill the enemies.

Naruto tapped Arash, and pointed to the structure. Arash smirked, pleased that the boy had figured it out on his own. Arash had already seen it, and was just waiting to see if he'd reply. Arash loaded his bow, peeked over the tractor, and fired, cutting the steel wire that held the ball up, sending it tumbling down and destroying the building, as well as all ten enemies who didn't have time to react as the debris came down upon them, crushing the life out of them. Arash immediately jumped out, followed by Naruto.

The two made it through the intersection without problem and continued to the source of all the gunfire: the Fourth branch headquarters. It towered over the rest of the three-story buildings as it blazed gunfire down onto the enemy troops.

Naruto and Arash kept running, until they heard a loud explosion above them.

'_Oh shit! Motion sensor mines!_' They both concluded. Naruto ducked into a ruined building to the right and Arash ducked into one at the left to avoid the falling steel, drywall and cement.

Naruto got up from inside the building, but when he looked up, he was looking straight into a gun barrel. There was only one enemy, but that didn't make things better.

Fortunately, as Naruto knew, things weren't that bad anyways.

The soldier pulled the trigger of the handgun, sending the bullet straight between Naruto's eyes. Naruto closed his eyes just before the bullet hit, remembering one of the most important lessons of them all.

"Naruto, have you ever gotten a feeling from others when you are close to them, like a feeling of warmth or something to make you shiver?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah! I got this weird feeling from this Haku guy once. Turned out, he was an enemy." Naruto recollected his past experience.

"Well, that's aura! And you have one too, that you can turn into a defensive measure more powerful than tempered steel!" Cloud said, expecting Naruto to jump with joy. Instead, Naruto looked at him as if he were crazy. "Listen up, people naturally emit their mana from their bodies, and there's nothing they can do to stop it. That's how people like your friend Hotaka can sense chakra. Now, even through it's mana, or chakra, or whatever, that you lose naturally, you can bend it even after it's left your body."

Cloud handed Naruto a knife. "Here. Try to cut me. Anywhere."

"What?!"

"Just do it." Cloud ordered. Naruto slowly stood up and carried the knife underhand, raising it above his head, and pausing for a second, before bringing it down. To his surprise, the knife didn't even harm his clothes! He tried again, but still, nothing!

Naruto backed away, and Cloud chuckled at his expression. "It's a true ultimate defense. You can train yourself to condense most of your aura into an invisible shield, less than a millimeter thick. Anyone can learn it, but it takes over a month of pure dedication to master it, so few know it. The strength depends on how much chakra your aura contains, and that depends on how much you have. And considering how much you have, yours should be strong enough to block bullets! I'd have died a long time ago without mine!"

Naruto sat there, shocked, before laughing, then jumping up and down in joy. Cloud smirked. "We begin training now, and we continue until you have it deployed naturally. With the amount of Mana your Aura contains, your Aura Armor will be incredible!"

The bullet hit, but ricocheted off of Naruto's Aura Armor, going right through the ceiling. The enemy soldier, shocked, tried again, but met the same result. Naruto didn't even flinch. He knew if too many bullets were shot at him at once, he'd be in trouble, or if it was a sniper, but a simple handgun wouldn't be a problem.

Naruto leaped up and tackled the boy, thankful that Cloud taught a shadow clone how to grapple. Naruto smashed the man into the ground, knocking off his helmet, and got in a mount. Naruto prepared to raise his handgun for the kill, but suddenly, he realized he wasn't looking into a helmet anymore.

He was looking at a human. A terrified human, with tears in his eyes.

Naruto froze, just as Arash had predicted. This was just a kid, no older than eighteen. He had short brown hair that fell below his ears, blue eyes and a handsome face. Naruto wanted to shoot, but his finger just wouldn't move.

The boy sat still, not knowing what this child was, or what he was going to do to him. He was terrified. He'd already soiled himself, and now he was shaking, breaking out in tears. And then, he lost to fear. He screamed and pulled out his knife from his belt and tried to stab Naruto in the neck. Naruto's instincts took over and he grabbed the boy's hand with both of his as it flew up with the combat knife, and he used the boy's own momentum to keep it going, and turning around, until it went full circle and Naruto forced the knife into the boy's neck.

At that moment, time froze. Naruto watched as the blood began seeping out, the boy's expression gone from terrified to shocked, as if he'd though his youth, or some dream would protect him. The boy gagged, twitching in every body limb, eyes bulging. And then, the gagging stopped, and the boy went limp, returning to the planet.

When the boy stopped moving, Naruto finally remembered how, as he raised his bloody hands. And then reality hit him: he'd killed. He'd ended the life of someone who had just as much a right to live as he did, and he did it without thinking about it for a second. He just did it. He began to wonder if he really wasn't a monster. Naruto gripped his hands, the blood of the boy dripping back onto the boy's body armor. Naruto sobbed, and sobbed again, before crying out to the heavens in terror.

"HUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!"

It was at that point that Arash had entered the building, having just killed the five other men in the structure to the left. His bow was strapped to his back and his sword and shield were both bloody. Naruto had gotten off lucky with just having to fight one, but still, he had to kill his enemy. You only have one chance to never kill, and now he could never live an innocent and pure life again.

Arash stepped up to the sobbing boy, pulling out a scarf. "It's not much, but you can dry your tears with it." Naruto didn't take it, letting the tears continue to fall on the corpse.

Arash sighed. He couldn't blame the boy. When he was eight, he'd killed another. Just a mugger, but he'd killed, and it was horrible. Fortunately for Naruto, he had someone to help him through it.

Arash put away the scarf and pulled out a cleaning rag and began cleaning his sword. It would take some time, but he knew it had to be done. "You know, I never liked killing. I still don't, you know."

"…Then why do you do it?" Naruto asked between sobs.

"Because…I know that what I'm fighting for is worth something…that it has to be done."

"And that's an excuse to kill others?!" Naruto roared, hate filling his eyes.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. But what is important is that if you kill, you do it for a reason. In our case, we must kill to defend the planet, so that when others die, they return to the planet, and are one day born again. Therefore, in truth, we never truly die forever." He finished cleaning his sword and sheathed it, switching to his shield. "In war, two ideals are fought over, yet only one can win. Truly, it is madness, yet to defend something that you truly consider worth fighting for, killing for, and dying for, there's never been something so right." He cleaned up the falcon, and continued to the rest of the shield. "We fight to defend our homes, our beliefs, and our loved ones. Yet, as we do, we must erase the pain that we have from killing others. It is the only way to continue. To bury memories and pain to survive, is the only way to survive in war." He wiped the blood of the rest of his shield, yet his clothes were still stained red, and took out a canteen full of water. "You have made your first kill, and now, you must wash it away."

Naruto looked at the boy, his eyes staring at the sky, and contemplated Arash's words. Then, he nodded, and raised his left hand, and dragged it down the boys face, remembering every contour of his face as he closed the boy's eyes. Then he stood, and extended his hands, and let Arash pour the water over them, taking the blood with them. Arash emptied the canteen and threw it aside, and took Naruto's hands. "However, you must only forget the guilt of killing. Never forget the person you killed, but learn to let them go. It's the only way to continue along in life." Arash finished, removing his hands from Naruto's.

"And now, there are others who need our help, yet to help them, we must kill those who oppose us. As sad as it is, it's true." He turned around, picking up the gun and handing it to Naruto. "Are you ready to fight, to kill, and to die for everything you care about?" Arash asked, looking him straight in the eye.

Naruto stared at the gun, skeptical whether to accept it, before reaching out and grabbing the handle, and pulling back the hammer, he made his decision.

Arash nodded, and turned around, heading out the door. Naruto followed, no longer crying, resolved to do his part. He would stand, and he would fight, and he would kill, no matter how much it hurt. '_There are people who need me…people who believe in me…I can't let them down!_'

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"_Taking life for the first time had serious lasting effect on me. It taught me that at any moment, I could end up like the boy that I killed. I'll never forget his face, his hair, his eyes, or the blood I spilled, but I've learned to never feel sorry for my actions. I made them for a reason, and I'll stick with them until the end, just as I agreed to defend the planet from whatever dangers may face it!"_

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The third eyes Ryuunosuke carefully, before commenting "Well, your report is accurate, and your squad is currently recuperating, correct?"

Ryuunosuke nodded. "Yes, Hokage-Sama. Hotaka is resting up for the Chunin exams, and Michiko and Yoko both agree that they need a break after running around for so long." Ryuunosuke said.

"And have they shown any improvement?" The Hokage asked.

"Indeed, but I believe that Hotaka needs a new teacher to teach him advanced wood jutsu as soon as possible, Hokage-Sama."

The Hokage sighed. "Well…there is one…"

"R-really? When can I meet him?"

The Hokage sighed. "Patience, Ryuunosuke. After the Chunin exams, perhaps, but not now. Your students needs to recover and be at maximum strength before the exams. The fact that we had spies in our village is most unnerving…"

Ryuunosuke nodded and bowed. "I understand. Farewell, Hokage-Sama."

"Farewell." The Hokage replied as Ryuunosuke left. It was good to know that spies had been taken care of, but the fact that there were spies in the first place troubled him deeply. '_Things are getting worse by the day. What are you up to, Orochimaru…?_'

**Break**

Naruto and Arash had managed to find an incomplete sewer section that led close to the base. It wasn't in use, so there were no lights as of yet. It was pitch black, with the only light coming from their glowing eyes, the mark of the SOLDIER.

That was, of course, until they spotted lights ahead, carried by enemy units. Naruto whipped out his handgun and fired randomly in fully automatic before the enemy troops had a chance to respond, emptying his clip and killing five men. It still hurt, but he remembered Arash's speech, and he found it much easier to take when he couldn't see their faces. But still, the feeling of guilt lingered.

Arash fired four arrows at once killing eight men as they passed through the first target and hit another from behind. Naruto had just reloaded his gun and fired it on single shot, taking out the last three men, and once again the two ran through the sewer, but stopped when they reached the bloody mess.

Arash pulled out his sword, as did Naruto, and they stabbed every corpse, making sure they were dead, so they couldn't recover and report back to their superiors. It was harder this time, as in two cases they weren't completely dead and he heard the gasp, and groans, and watched all movement end. Yet he persisted, remembering what he was fighting for.

They ran through the rest of the sewer, hearing gunfire and the occasional bomb detonation above them, before finally finding a way out. It was a narrow tube in the wall that they could just squeeze through, but they managed to worm crawl up, and bashed their way through the toilet in the bathroom under construction. They made their way up, and bashed through the door, and suddenly, realized they'd picked the wrong toilet.

It wasn't the HQ, it was a building next to it, full of snipers. The snipers turned around when they heard the door open and fired everything they had at them.

Naruto and Arash began weaving in and out of sniper fire that over twenty snipers delivered. Deciding it was their only solution, Naruto crossed his fingers in the cross sign, and shouted "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Twenty Naruto's filled the room, and each drew their buster blade so fast that the steel sword was just a blur in the air. All twenty charged, some getting shot by surprised snipers, but in a matter of seconds, the walls were covered in blood.

Arash clapped his hands. "Nice move. I heard about that. You better show me that later." Naruto nodded, and pointed at the HQ. "So what now? Bust in and start taking numbers?

Arash nodded. "Yeah…the third and fourth floor look like there's some heavy firefighting going on in there, but nothing that our Aura Armor can't take. You jump to the third, and I'll head to the Fourth. We'll meet back down and retake the lobby together. Then, we'll have to barricade it until reinforcements arrive.

Naruto nodded, and stepped back to prepare himself for the jump. Yet another lesson filled his mind.

"Control is what you'll be learning, but not just any control. I'll be teaching you how to gain superhuman strength." Cloud told the clone.

Naruto's eyes lit up like stars at night. "Really?! How?! HOW?!"

"Hey! Hmph! Grt orpha mye!" Cloud ordered, pulling the boy off of himself. "You won't really have superhuman strength, but it'll seem like you do. First, concentrate your chakra into a small ball at the part of your body you want to use. Then pack it as densely with mana as you can! Then, keep focusing until you need to use it. Then release it. It's almost like a small explosion, but your Aura Armor will protect you once it's mastered. So for now, it won't be too strong, but once you've reformed, you can even cup your aura armor and direct the explosion!" He stopped to close the boy's mouth, noticing that he was about to dehydrate himself from over-drooling.

Naruto ran forward, focusing his chakra into a ball beneath his left foot, and jumped onto the windowsill, releasing the chakra, resulting in him being hurled forward at superspeed, with Arash just behind him. He sailed over 100 meters to HQ, crashing through the third level window, and immediately found himself in a firefight.

Naruto drew his Buster Sword and rolled as he landed, coming up to cut someone across the chest. He turned around and cleaved another in two, and jumped forward, swinging his blade along the way, killing seven more. Naruto landed in front of two others, and threw his sword up for a moment, grabbed the surprised men's wrists, who were holding guns, pointed them at each other, and forced them to pull the trigger by slamming his down on theirs, killing them both, he caught his spinning blade just as it came back down in an underhanded style and pushed it back, killing the one trying to sneak up on him, and letting him drop dead. He looked at the dead and stabbed each of them again, before turning to the survivors.

Four wore WRO uniforms and had assault rifles, and two were dressed in business suits, armed only with handguns. Naruto walked over to them, spinning his sword around in front of him, before placing it back in its button strap behind his back.

One of the WRO was the first to speak. "Y-you're that new SOLDIER that everyone's been hearing rumors about, aren't you." Naruto grinned and nodded happily. "What's your name?"

Naruto's grin grew wider. Finally, someone was asking for his name, not the other way around. Even among such a horrible battle, he couldn't help it. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, SOLDIER, first class."

A female member of the WRO stepped forth. "You're a lifesaver, Mr. Uzumaki. But, does that mean Cloud's here?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, but Arash is. I suspect Cloud will come as soon as he hears about it."

One of the men in a suit sighed. "And we thought you were the backup…"

"What?"

"The WRO HQ radioed us, telling us they were sending support."

Naruto smirked. "Then all we have to do is hold them off until they arrive, right?"

"Right, Naruto." Arash said as he entered the room with eight other survivors. "For now, we should try to retake the bottom and second level. It's our only hope of holding out. They'll keep coming up the stairs unless we do something."

One of the WRO members looked at the two. "We'll help in whatever way that we can."

Arash shook his head. "Negative. We'll continue on, and you go gather people from levels five through thirteen to go find material to reinforce the main door when we secure it." The other members nodded, not wanting to question a SOLDIER, and ran to gather assistance.

"The stairs?" Naruto asked, psychologically preparing himself to kill again.

"No. Too obvious. We'll take the express route." Arash said, before slamming his fist into the ground, causing it to collapse. They fell to the second floor, and Arash fired three volleys by the time that they hit. Naruto started out by slashing one man straight through, rolling to the right and stabbing another, and swinging in an arc, taking three down at once. After only seconds, the numbers were reduced to three, who all fell back down the stairs to warn the others.

Naruto nodded to Arash, who took out his sword, as Naruto prepared to strike the floor. Preparing, he remembered one of his favorite lessons.

"Naruto, what I'm about to teach you will become your greatest weapon in combat: the limit break. Don't interrupt me as I explain it. The Limit Break occurs when you break five chakra coils, one in each limb and torso, allowing mana to flow freely throughout your body before they quickly heal. You can use that mana to increase your strength, or to perform a single powerful attack. However, once you perform it, you'll need to wait for your body to recover enough to use it again, otherwise you'll destroy yourself. You can make your own limit breaks, but for now, I'll teach you a few basic ones once you've mastered the concepts.

Naruto gathered the energy he'd been storing and focused it in the blade of his sword, and slashed down. "Blade beam!"

His sword alone cut through the wood, sending the blue beam into the heavy ranks below. It burst upon contacting the first, spreading out and cutting a total of ten men to shreds! Naruto and Arash jumped down the crack into the horde of men, and began cutting, hacking, slashing, and killing everything that they could see. Finally, the last man fell to the might of SOLDIER, and the two quickly ran over to the door and closed it shut, noting that the lock had been busted open. They shouted for the survivors to bring the barricade materials, but it took a whole minute to bring them down, and then welding the scavenged steel to the doors took another five minutes, all while enemy soldiers threatened to burst through.

Finally, they breathed a sigh of relief as the welding was finished and poured water on it to cool it and make it stronger, trapping the carbon atoms in the metal. Naruto and Arash both sank down along the door, panting heavily, all the while receiving thanks and praise from the survivors.

Then, they heard it again. The explosions outside the door. Both stood up, ready to continue fighting, but along with them trying to tear down the door, they heard more gunfire.

"…There's more survivors out there." Arash concluded.

"We have to help them!" Naruto roared.

"…No, Naruto. I'll go help them. You stay here in case they break through."

"Bu-"

Arash gave him a stern look. "If they reach the upper levels, they may obtain valuable data. We cannot allow that to happen."

"But…You could die…"

"So could you, Naruto. Much must be risked in war." They heard a chopper outside, circling the building. Arash smirked. "Back in a minute." Arash grinned, before running for the rooftops.

Naruto lay silent as they continued to ram the steel door, along with an occasional rocket blast. The door wouldn't hold for more than five minutes. Things were looking really bad.

Yet, even as he thought this, Arash ran up the building, passing survivors and heading to the rooftop, feeling explosions vibrate through the building. He reached the roof just as a helicopter arose to meet him, staring down at him. Arash pulled out his sword and shield, smirking. "Hello, my pretty."

The helicopter fired a missile, but Arash leapt forward into the air, and jumped off the missile, letting it impact the top of the building, and flew toward the helicopter. The chopper tried to turn, but Arash sailed under the blades and smashed his way through the cockpit, stabbing the pilot and throwing him out, taking control. He turned the helicopter around, and piloted it straight into the ground in front of a building surrounded by troops, killing dozens. He leapt out of the helicopter the moment before it exploded, sailing through the air and onto the rooftop. He pulled out his bow and slammed his foot to the roof, creating a small hole. He then proceeded to pick off the dozen or so enemies below that threatened the survivors, before joining them himself, holding off any further threats to them. He had the other survivors barricade the doors with whatever they could, while he fired arrows through small crooks in the wall. But the barricade didn't hold long, And Arash drew his sword and shield, rushing into the melee.

Naruto, on the other hand, was just getting ready to fight. The door was about to be ripped off its reinforced hinges, and he'd have to face whatever came through that door.

And, in seconds, another explosion was the final straw, sending the steel double-door flying through the air and landing at his feet. Naruto raised his Buster Sword, ready to face the hordes. But, to his surprise, as the dust settled, the soldiers had not entered. Instead, a long man with a scythe entered, smirking at the sight.

"Well well…" He said in a cocky voice. "A new SOLDIER, huh? Interesting…" He held his hand to his chin, lost in thought, before snapping his fingers, pure joy appearing on his face. "Aha! I know! You're the kid we sent two of our men to kill in Konoha!" Naruto flinched. So these guys were behind that. "They said they succeeded, too. Ah well. Looks like I'll have to finish the job for them." He said, removing his scythe from his shoulder and planting the tip on the ground.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked.

"Who am I? I am a soldier of the Black Moon army, a member of the most elite unit in existence. I am Amar, a member of the first squad of the chosen."

"..Chosen."

"I have said enough to answer your first question, and that's all you get." Amar said, before rushing at Naruto. Naruto tried to counter, but Amar was fast, and managed to puncture Naruto's Aura Armor enough to cut him in the shoulder. Naruto stared at the wound for a moment, recognizing the threat, and once again readied himself for battle.

This time, Amar lept into the air, swinging down. Naruto rolled to the side, and swung his sword at Amar, who lept up and stuck himself to the blade as it swung, and used the opportunity to strike again. Naruto was forced to drop his sword and tackle him, punching him in the face, and off his sword, before he could grab it again. He rolled towards his opponent and lept into the air. "Limit Break: Braver!" Naruto shouted, slamming his sword into his scythe. The collision of energy resulted in a small explosion of Mana, sending both combatants back a few feet.

Naruto rose just in time to let go of his sword and catch the scythe blade with his hands. It but his palms, but he was able to push it into the ground and kick Amar in the chin. But Amar brought his scythe up with him, slashing across Naruto's chest, giving him a small flesh wound across his torso. Both flew back a few feet, landing on the ground at the same moment.

Naruto got to his feet, noticing how his opponent was as well. "…You fight too well for a rookie, and that swipe I delivered should've cut off your arm. You're stronger than I thought, boy…but now…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out some green materia. "It's over!"

Naruto realized what was about to happen and rushed forward, but it was too late. Amar had placed the materia into his scythe blade, and released his spell. "BOLT!" He roared, sending a bolt of lightning at Naruto. Naruto, who didn't have enough time to dodge, felt the lightning pass through his Aura Armor and travel through his body. He screamed in pain, before falling to his knees, and falling face-first into the ground.

Naruto found that he couldn't move, or even twitch. The lightning had temporarily shut down his nerve response. He couldn't even feel.

Amar laughed. "Tell me kid, how does it feel to feel to be completely helpless?"

Naruto groaned, then chuckled, then laughed.

"Tell me kid, what's so funny?" Amar asked his interest tweaked.

Naruto summoned the strength to tilt his head. "You are, idiot!" Suddenly Amar felt something cold run down his shoulders. He looked quickly, only to see that his arms had been severed. Naruto's clone poofed out of existence, and Naruto walked out from behind him and looked him in the eye. Not even giving him the change to speak, Naruto muttered "Game over, dobe." And decapitated the enemy. The headless corpse toppled to the ground beside it's other limbs, before Naruto turned around and watched the other Black Moon soldiers prepared to launch another wave.

It seemed like the WRO was waiting for this, and suddenly appeared over the mountains, sending a barrage of missiles all over the battlefield, killing hundreds in instants, and causing choppers to burst into flames all around the sky.

Naruto wore a small smile as he spun his sword around in front of him, spinning it back, and strapping it to his back. He decided to sit down, watching through the open door. It was a spectacular sight, and a good way to celebrate. As he watched the enemies who had killed so many fall through the sky. It was his first mission as a SOLDIER, and if he had to say, he'd just passed with flying colors!

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_It was a wonderful moment to be alive. That day, I realized just how much I'd grown. I had managed to defeat over fifty men that day, and one of them a chosen! I was impressed with myself, and it was then that I realized I wasn't the dead last anymore. I was a war hero, one who people looked to for hope and courage. It's a harder and less glamorous position than others would think, but it's well worth the sacrifices._

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"YEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!" Cid hollered through the festival grounds. Cleanup had taken place yesterday and now the whole team was celebrating their victory back at Headquarters.

Naruto was sitting in the corner, eyeing the bandage wrapped around his unpadded shoulder. It was a small injury compared to what others had, and he considered himself very lucky that his first was a relatively simple one: just meet the enemy and shoot. It showed him some serious flaws in his combat style that he'd have to iron out later. Arash had told them he'd already gone to bed, having received a few more wounds than he had from taking on a massive horde of infantry.

In the distance, he saw Cloud approaching. He smiled, and got up to go talk to his mentor, but was briskly interrupted. "Hey! So you're the new SOLDIER, huh? Cid asked as he crapped an arm around Naruto. Naruto nodded dumbly, not really knowing what else to say. "Well then, I'd like ta have a word with ya , if ya don't mind!" Cid said happily as he dragged Naruto through the crowd.

Cloud stood there, watching the sight as Cid charged through the group of people to get to the nearest bar. Cloud sighed. He was about to go after them, when a pair of hands wrapped around his eyes. "Guess who?" Whispered a playful voice.

"…Tifa, what are you doing?" Cloud asked. Tifa removed her hands and placed them behind her back.

"Come on, Cloud! There's a great stall over there with some great cakes! Let's go!"

"W-wait, Tifa! I've got other things to do!"

"But Cloud, we-"

Cloud shook his head. "I'm busy!"

Tifa growled. "That's it, mister. You and I are gonna have a looooooong talk!"

"Uhh…Tifa-GACK!" Cloud gasped as Tifa grabbed his ear and pulled him into an adjacent room.

She closed the door and looked at Cloud. "Well?"

"Well what?" Cloud asked, rubbing his abused ear.

"Explain yourself!"

"What?!"

"Why you've been ignoring the rest of us for so long!"

"Tifa, I've been busy!"

"Training a kid! You couldn't even take time off to come visit us? Denzel and Marlene miss you, Cloud!"

Cloud raised his hands in his defense. "Hey! What I've been doing has been important, too, okay?! I've wanted to see them, but…I couldn't."

Tifa growled at him. "No more lies, Cloud! You've had plenty of chances! But you just kept all your focus on Naruto! We've missed you, Cloud!"

Now Cloud was getting angry. "I've missed you all too, but I've got to do this, okay, Tifa? I have to!"

"ARGH! How can you be such a jerk?!" Tifa roared, punching Cloud in the face. Her punch sent him back into the wall, where his head accidentally hit the light switch.

"Hey! The lights went out! What hallened?" Tifa asked.

Cloud groaned. "How should I know? Geez, I think I just got a concussion."

"Well, get up and find the light switch." Tifa ordered, groping around for the switch. She tried to go to where Cloud was, but found he'd gotten up and was looking in the wrong place.

"Maybe it's over here."

"No, we were just there."

"Maybe to the left."

"No, no, it was higher than that!"

"How can you tell?"

"Your hand makes sound, Tifa."

"Oh well, whatever. It's gotta be around here."

"Maybe over here…"

"Ouch!"

"Tifa?"

"You stepped on my foot, you idiot!"

"Maybe over he-HUAAAAAAGH!"

"EEEEEAAAAAAAAH!"

"Oof!"

"Oof!"

Cloud was on his hands and knees, having tripped over what he guessed was a stool. However, he felt something odd in his right hand. He gave it a test squeeze, and then another. It felt almost like jelly.

"Hey Tifa, did we leave any squishy balls around here?"

"…"

"Tifa…"

"Cloud…" Her voice was venomous.

"Tifa, what is it?" Suddenly, something clicked in his mind, and he immediately removed his hand from Tifa's breast. "I-I…I…"

"Cloud you idiot!" Tifa roared, punching Cloud again, and in all the confusion in her attempt to get up, she accidentally hit Cloud…down there…

"Haa…" Cloud squeaked, unable to make anything more audible as his hands went directly to his family jewels. Tifa gasped.

"Oh! Cloud, are you alright?" She asked, leaning over Cloud, who was still cradling his golden orbs.

"You…have no…idea…"

"I'm sorry, Cloud! Here, let me get you a pillow!" Tifa ran off, but not far! She tripped two steps later on the couch. "Got it!" She said triumphantly holding the pillow above the couch for Cloud to see, and sitting up to run it over to Cloud. She put the pillow between his legs and let him use her lap to rest his head. "Feel any better?" She asked.

"A little." He toughened up. Of course, the pain was still beyond words. "Sorry about that."

Tifa sighed. "No, it was my fault. I overreacted." Tifa smirked, seeing a chance to taunt Cloud. "Tell me something, Mr. Strife, did you enjoy it?"

Cloud's eyes shot open in the dark room. "What?"

"Did you enjoy touching me?"

Cloud blushed. "Well…maybe, yeah…"

Tifa laughed. "Perv!" She called him.

Well Cloud wasn't about to let that go unchallenged. "What about you? Did you enjoy it?"

"…" Tifa went silent for a minute.

"Well?" Cloud asked

"Well, yeah…a little…"

"Heh. Perv."

Tifa blushed. "Shaddup!"

"Hey, you're the one yelling. You shut up!"

"Make me."

Cloud grinned. "Be careful what you wish for, Tifa."

Tifa blinked, before she felt Cloud sit up. "Cloud, what're you- Hmph!" Tifa's eyes rose as she felt a soft set of lips on hers. Still, it was nice, and she soon settled into it. It was a little awkward, with their noses hitting each others every so often, but they definitely got a sensation out of it, and that was all that mattered.

Cloud pulled back, smirking. "Told ya."

Tifa touched her lips where Cloud had just kissed her, before grinning. "Now who's cocky? Why don't you shaddup?"

Cloud's smirk grew wider. "Make me!"

Tifa knew it was a trap, but she fell for it all the same. As she leaned in, Cloud smiled. '_Whoever said crawling in the dark was pointless really needs to get a dayjob._' Cloud smirked as he accepted the kiss.

**Break**

Cid led Naruto into a bar and ordered them both drinks. When the drinks arrived, Cid immediately began chugging his, but Naruto just stared at the bottle. "What's the matter, kid? Never had a beer before?"

"I've never even had alcohol in my life! I'm only twelve! I can't drink!"

"Aw, caman! It won't kill ya!"

Naruto sniffed it. "Eww! No way!

"Drink!"

"No!"

Cid chuckled. "Naruto, I've heard about what you've done. You've already beat an enemy Elite, and you've already learned to kill. But most importantly, you've learned that life is short, and that no matter what we do, we only have 24 hours a day to live. By making those choices in that small period of time, prioritizing them, you become an adult." Cid sighed. "And that, my young friend, is why we adults love beer!"

Cid took a long swig, emptying his bottle, and ordering another. "Trust me on this, Naruto. You're more of an adult than a lot of people I know who claim to be, even if you were forced to grow up all fast and shit. And after that battle, you earned yourself a drink!" Cid said, pushing the bottle into Naruto's hands.

Naruto accepted the bottle gingerly. He used the bottle opener nearby, and watched as something of a soft mist arose from the bottle. He slowly raised it to his lips, and took a small swig. His face immediately resembled who had just seen The third Hokage naked. He forced down the drink and turned to Cid. "How can adults drink this stuff?!"

Cid laughed. "Haha! No one ever likes it the first time, ya know?! You're lucky you didn't puke!"

Naruto laughed it off and took the bottle, forcing down more of the liquid. His face now looked like he'd just seen Gai-sensei naked. Cid was now roaring with laughter. "Whoa whoa, Naruto! I thought you hated the stuff! You some kinda masochist?!" Cid asked.

Naruto chuckled. "Ha ha, Cid. I just wanna see what kinda drunk I am!" Naruto said, turning his back on the Airship captain and heading for his temporary room.

Cid swirled his bottle. "I see…you just wanna fit in, don'cha kid?"

**Break**

"Tifa…I'm sorry."

"Hmm? Yeah…thanks Cloud."

"…Look, I promise I'll pay more attention to you guys. It's just…I've been so busy lately that-" He was cut off as Tifa kissed him again. They were in the corner of the dark room, their little make-out session concluded, cuddling for the moment.

Tifa ended the kiss and placed her hands on his, which were wrapped around her stomach. "Yeah…but we all still miss you. Denzel needs a good male rolemodel in his life. That's you, Cloud. You're like a father to him."

"And you're like his mother." Cloud added, smiling as he rested his head on her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek like a young teenager. After all, he had been catatonic during those years, so you could say he was making up for lost time.

"Hmm…yeah…" Tifa sighed.

"At this rate, we'll be a real family in no time." Cloud chuckled.

"Maybe…" She whispered.

**Break**

The sun was rising on the WRO Headquarters, and as it just began peeking over the hill, Arash sat on the very top of the building, legs hanging over the edge.

He turned around when he felt a familiar presence. "Hey Cloud. Have fun with Tifa?"

Cloud blushed. "How'd you know?"

"…I was temporarily staying in the room just beside the one you and Tifa had…did they already clean the bedsheets? Is it safe to go in again?" Arash teased.

"Hey, we didn't go that far, okay? Sheesh, horny teenagers…" Cloud muttered.

They were alerted to a third presence, which turned out to be a very messy Naruto with black rings around his eyes.

"…What happened to you?" Arash asked.

"…I'm a very bad drunk." Naruto concluded.

"Oh! So you were the one with the lampshade on your head!" Cloud stated.

Naruto just gave him a death glare. "Shut up, will you? I've got a killer headache!" He said as he grabbed his forehead.

Cloud smirked. "That's what you get for hanging around with Cid for too long." Cloud took a seat next to Arash, as did Naruto , shielding his eyes from the light. The shadows were slowly creeping down, when Cloud broke the silence. "…I've got it!"

"Got what?" Arash asked.

"Our new name, to replace SOLDIER!"

"Huh?" Naruto questioned. "So what is it?"

Cloud smiled. "From this day forth, SOLDIER in the WRO will no longer exist. Starting today, we shall be known as Kyusokai. We'll be the new champions of the WRO!

"Kyusokai…" Arash said, testing the name. "Perfect. I couldn't think of a more fitting title."

"Fine by me." Naruto muttered, still under his hangover. "I love it! Let's do it!"

Cloud nodded, resting a hand on his teammates shoulders. "Very well! Then get some rest, Kyusokai. In three days time, we travel to Konoha, and for the Chunin exams!"

**Break**

'_Damn that idiot! Where is he?!_' Sasuke questioned as he stood in front of the coliseum filled to the brim with people. Along with him were Shino, Neji, Tenten, Shikamaru, Hotaka, and Gaara. Temari had announced that she was dropping out of the match before the tournament started, so she wasn't there either.

In the crowd, Hatake Kakashi, sitting next to Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino watched carefully. "Oi, Kakashi-sensei, where's Naruto?"

Kakashi tried to smile. "He'll be here any minute!" '_I hope…_' Kakashi was beginning to wonder if letting him go was the best thing he could have done.

Meanwhile, the Hokage and Kazekage were debating on whether to start the tournament or not.

"With all due respect, perhaps we should allow the examiner to advance to the next match, Hokage-dono." The Kazekage suggested.

But the Hokage shook his head. "No, he'll arrive shortly. Please, give us five more minutes to wait, my friend."

The Kazekage returned his gaze to the field. "As you wish, Hokage-dono."

But the five minutes past, and he never came. The crowd was getting rowdy, demanding that they start the finals. Sighing, and fearing betrayal from the people he allowed into his village, the Hokage decided that enough was enough. He signaled for Hayate to come to him, and was about to inform him of Naruto's disqualification, when suddenly on the field, there was a blinding flash of green light.

The light formed into a ball about six feet in diameter before peeling apart, and disappearing. Inside was a boy, some centimeters taller than Naruto Uzumaki had been before he left, stood in the clearing in front of the crowd. He wore a black cloak that covered his whole body leaving nothing visible, with several white lines on the back formed a white wolf, its tail reaching just below the neckline of the hood, and the head near the bottom. It was crouching, waiting for the chance to strike.

Kakashi sighed in relief, as Sakura shouted words of encouragement to the boy. Sasuke smirked, noting how his entrance was almost as good as his own. Hayate smirked as well, and leapt back down to the field, walking up to the boy. "Your name?"

The figure looked up at the crowd, then at Hayate. "Uzumaki Naruto." His voice was much calmer and collected than before. The hooded young man turned to observe the other applicants, and nodded, turning back to Hayate. "Now then, let's begin!"

Next Time: The Finals

**Notes**

Wow! I just hammered out 18.5K words in just over three days! And damn, am I tired! I think I'll take a day off of thinking tomorrow. I really am beat.

Just for the record, if anyone questions Naruto's gain in power, remember Cloud: he had almost no training in SOLDIER, and was catatonic for five years, but the moment he could move on his own again, he was kicking ass! Just goes to show you what the SOLDIER procedure can do.

And now, I've got a new favorite character: YAHIKO!!! I believe in the philosophy for an eye for an eye when you cause pain like in the shinobi wars! Yet he also understands that that's why wars continue. I'm really glad that Kishimoto created a character like him!

No, Hayate hasn't died. Really, the only purpose of his death was to signal to konoha that the threat was real. However, Orochimaru appearing already covered that, so it would be a waste of a character.

SOLDIER is now called Kyusokai, with the members calling themselves the Sokai. More to be explained on that later.

Here are the translations, although I don't know if some of them are right, considering how I made them up.

"Suiton: Suikei no jutsu, Shouaku-Water Release: Water Whip technique, Restraining

Mokuton: Mokunaoyakke no jutsu-Wood Release: Wood straitjacket technique

Katon: Karyuuendan no jutsu-Fire Release: Dragon's Fire Technique

Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu-Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique

Shunshin no jutsu-Body Flicker Technique

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Please, kindly kill yourself if you don't know this one)-Shadow Clone Technique

Kyusokai-The Nine Cherished Hopes

And now to answer revies! (last time I do it for this fic. I'll do it once more for the others, but that's it. It takes up too much room.)

**actionliker-**Wow, you must have been one of the first to see it I if you woke up at 7:00, because I posted it like three minutes before that! And about Ero-kun dying…I have no idea. You'd better ask him yourselfm cuz I haven't heard anything.

**Vegeta the 3rd-**I'm glad you think I improved over my previous chapter. It was pretty boring, wasn't it? And I'm pretty sure I did a good job on this one, too. And yeah, Sakura isn't gonna have to wait for three years to be of some use. Really, it was just sad that Sakura didn't have any sort of skill in anything before shippuden (as Shikamaru mentioned in volume 14…somewhere…too tired to look up…) And I never actually saw ur PM until after you posted a review (I check my email as often as Satan brushes his teeth), and it is fun to do AU fics for Naruto, because the characters are likeable, but the development is mediocre. Until next time!

**Dawnyu-**Yup! The Chunin exam finals are here! Next time they begin, and Naruto's still got a few new secrets up his sleeves.

**CodeKyuubi-**Redna's a random OC I made for the moment. And just so you know, I haven't bean FFVII yet either, so we're in the same boat. I wanna beat it, but…ACK! COLLEGE IS HARDER THAN I THOUGHT! Promise me to ENJOY YOUR LIFE WHILE YOUR PARENTS PROVIDE FOR YOU!! LOOOVE THE MOOCHING UNTIL IT GOES AWAY!! That's the advice of a friend. And don't worry, I didn't get my first job until I was almost 17, and I didn't get m license until a month after I turned 17! And don't worry about not writing. Sometimes, you need a break. And if someone criticizes you about being late, you can HIT THEM IN THE FACE! ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE NOT AN AUTHOR! We authors are giving people free entertainment, so they have no right to complain if we decide to take a vacation. Write at your own pace. It's supposed to be fun, not work. :)

**G 52 Goodman-**Yes we do! Thanks for the advice! It really help the story out!

**knuckz-**Oh, like Naruto kicking Neji's ass so bad that everyone watching goes blind? Okay, that's not very funny, but it was on the spot. I'll have a few good reactions when he gets back.

**tar's dreams-**Thanks for the warm review, my friend. That was beautifully written! No internet slang, no Haxxors or whatever it's called, just writing in its pure form. Thanks for that. And yeah, he's got to be smart. If he graduated with kids his own age after failing two years in a row, then he had to have been accepted two years earlier than everyone else! Which means, they spotted potential in him! I'm surprised not many people have noticed this. Thanks for reviewing!

**Ero-kun-**Thanks for the encouragement. I'll get the next chapter up ASAP! But first, sleeeeeeeeeeeep…zzz

**ShadowdragonGX-**Oh, it's gonna be interesting. The battle will be fun, and Konoha will never be the same! I promise an enjoyable experience in the Chunin exams!

**shankshar89-**Yup! Got it in the chapter, somewhere near the end…I think…Anyway, that's what I believe limit breaks are!

**Resurected Executioner-**I'll probably start the romance shortly after the exams end, or a little while after that. But, until then, there's always Cloud and Tifa -

**Hiroshima Kazama-**Okay…in order now…nope, war with Black Moon for now, yeah, a quick touch-up to anyone out of the series, yup, nope, he's evil, YES! MUAHAHAHA!, unfortunately the voting already ended and that one got last, but the others have been updated, none of the above, bingo lol, next chapter, and HELL YEAH! I think I got them all. Thanks for reviewing!

Well, that's all. Leave a review if you liked it!

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


	12. The Finals

**The Paths We Walk**

The Finals

"Hn. You sure took your sweet time, show-off." Sasuke taunted as Naruto took his place at the end of the row, right next to him. Sasuke now wore a black collared shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back with elbow straps and bandaged his left arm and legs, with black straps buckled over the wrappings. He'd also swapped his blue sandals for a black pair, and appeared to have grown a little himself. "They were about to disqualify you, idiot."

"Heh." Naruto scoffed from underneath his hood. "Like I'd miss a chance to kick your butt!"

"Hah." Sasuke grunted. "You probably overslept again. You're turning into Kakashi, dobe."

"Grrr…that's not true! I just had to make sure all my new stuff was working alright!"

"Well, if it took you that long, you'd better make it worth my time. See you in the semi-finals, dobe."

Naruto smirked, although the shadow his cloak cast completely covered his face. "That'll be the last time you call me that."

"We'll see." Sasuke returned his gaze to the stands, catching sight of Kakashi and Sakura, along with various other figures he recognized in the center box. Then, something caught his gaze. A line of interesting figures, dressed in various garments he'd never seen before, entered from the high entrance in the middle booth. They walked down the stairs leading to the front of the arena, heading to the three reserved rows in the front of the stadium. They numbered twenty in all, including two dressed in black cloaks identical to Naruto's.

"Friends of yours?"

"Uhh, yeah. Met them a while ago."

"…Just what have you been up to?"

"Whaddya mean?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Those were the best seats in the stadium. I'd heard they were reserved for a very special party."

"…"

"Well?"

"I'll tell you the whole story later." He chuckled. "Right after I'm holding the winner's cup!"

"…Hmph." Sasuke closed his eyes, choosing to let it go for the time.

Hayate returned his gaze to the Genin after nodding to the Hokage. "Listen up! This is the last stage of the exam. The stage and scenery may be a little more varied than before, but it's the same as the preliminaries. Anything goes until one combatant becomes unable to continue fighting, surrenders, or expires. If I determine that one combatant is the clear winner, I'll stop the match before any further injury takes place. So, if you really want to become Chunin, don't hold back. Give these people something to watch, for you are the stars of the finals, and today, the future of your countries rests on your shoulders!"

Hayate checked over the Genin one last time before facing the crowd. "We shall now begin the first round of the Chunin Selection Exams Final Tournament: Nara Shikamaru vs. Nanashi Tenten! Would the two combatants prepare for combat while the remaining candidates enter the spectator's box so we may begin the match."

Tenten turned to Neji and nodded, before cracking her knuckles while turning to Shikamaru. "…You're dead. Oh so very dead."

Shikamaru sighed. "What now?"

"Don't give me that!" Naruto paused, wondering just what was going on. "If you try the same tactic on me, I'll cut it to pieces, you pervert!"

"Ehh? What the-"

Hotaka grabbed the back of Naruto's cloak and dragged him away. "I'll explain it in the box."

Naruto went along willingly, feeling very left out. They were followed by Shino, Sasuke, Gaara, and Neji.

Hotaka dropped Naruto inside the box, letting him stumble to his feet. Naruto grumbled, but let it go. He looked up at Hotaka, and saw that he'd changed his outfit, too. He now wore a brown tank top under a black leather jacket with his brown pants, along with his usual shuriken holster and ninja pouch. Surprisingly, he no longer had the jar holding his seeds anymore. His hair was also somewhat longer, falling below his neck in the back with bangs that fell below his chin. "Alright, so what's the story?"

"Well, it all happened during the second day of the exam. Shikamaru and Yoko fought the seventh match, right after my match with Kiba. At first, Yoko had the advantage, but once she had bound Shikamaru's legs with her water lasso, she forgot that water still created a small shadow, and Shikamaru took advantage of that. He caught her, and well…"

"…Well, wha-?"

"KILL HIM, TENTEN! GOUGE HIS EYES OUT!! RIP HI-HMPH!" Yoko's shouting from the middle row on the right-hand side of the middle box was cut off as Michiko tackled her to the ground and covered her mouth with her hand in the stands. Ryuunosuke was standing in the background, shaking his head at the scene.

"…Whoa…" Naruto stared into the stands. Yoko just yelled. In all the time he knew her, she never even spoke at the common level for normal conversation…

"Well, Shikamaru sort of…forced her to, ugh…"

"What?"

Hotaka coughed lamely. "It's hard to say. She is like my sister, after all, so…"

"He took her shirt off." Shino finished.

"WHAT?!" '_AND WE MISSED IT?!_' His inner pervert shouted.

Hotaka rested his head in his hand. "No need to be so blunt, Shino."

Shino pressed his finger to his lips, and pointed to the arena.

Shikamaru sighed. "Sheesh. Why'd I have to go first? And another girl?"

Tenten cracked her knuckles. "This'll be over in five minutes, you little perv."

"Hmmm…what to do, what to do…I could just use the same tactic as before…"

"I KNEW IT!!"

"Maybe I should just forfeit…this is too troublesome."

Tenten pointed at Hayate. "You. Match. Start!" And began unbinding her scroll.

"Uhh…First match, Nara Shikamaru vs. Nanashi Tenten, begin!"

"Geez, thanks for the warning, pal." Shikamaru watched Tenten bite her thumb and run it along her scroll. "Aw man, she's really into this."

Tenten ran her bloody thumb across the scroll, and quickly threw the seven kunai as quickly as they were summoned. Shikamaru pulled out a kunai of his own and blocked two of the incoming kunai before side-stepping the ones he couldn't block. Tenten predicted this, and had already thrown twenty summoned shuriken at Shikamaru's new location. Shikamaru noted that all the shuriken were grouped relatively close together, and just managed to pick up on the needles flying along the border of the grouped shuriken. Shikamaru made a high jump into the air, avoiding both groups.

He landed, and looked up at the scowling girl. "I see. You threw the shuriken first to keep my focus on them, and made me think that all I had to do was sidestep their group and be safe. But, you'd also thrown a group of throwing needles, which are easily less noticeable, in hopes that once I'd sidestepped the easily noted shuriken, my attention would still be diverted from the needles. You should know from our experience in the forest that such simple tricks won't work on me."

Tenten growled, but quickly replaced her frown with a smirk. "Heh, good. It'd be far less rewarding if you went down so easily."

"Aah, that really sounds troublesome…but I can't stand the thought of losing to a girl, so I guess it's on!"

"…You sexist bastard."

"Hey, violent combat is the last thing we men still rein supreme. We won't give it up so easily."

"Oh really…we'll see."

Tenten ran her thumb over the seals once more, summoning a myriad of weapons of all shapes and styles. As quickly as they appeared, she threw them at Shikamaru. Shikamaru sighed as he tilted his head to the side avoiding the first shuriken, and immediately deployed his Shika tactic number 1: Hide and pray they don't seek.

Shikamaru ran right for the forest at the edge of the arena, while Tenten continued to launch a barrage of weapons in his wake, forming a complete line by the time Shikamaru managed to reach the cover of a large oak tree. Tenten growled, not entirely sure what to do now.

**Break**

"Get him, Tenten! Knock his block off!"

Choji sighed as Ino cheered Tenten on. "You really should cheer for your teammate, Ino."

"No way! What he did in the preliminaries was unforgivable."

"Well, still, he is your teammate."

"Choji, you idiot! Don't you get it? This isn't just about Yoko!"

"Hm?"

"You haven't realized what could happen? He may use the same dirty tactic, that pervert!"

"So? It's not that bad. She was wearing a bra. It's just like going to the beach."

"You idiot! Don't you get it?!"

"No…what?"

"It was embarrassing enough during the preliminaries for Yoko, when she was only among friends and a few other people, but if the same thing happened to Tenten, everyone in the entire arena would see it, including the leaders of the other nations! She'd never live it down!"

"Oh…well, it wouldn't be that bad. Her popularity would skyrocket…"

Ino scoffed. "Just shut up, Choji!"

Choji sighed, and grabbed a bag of chips. "Either way, Shikamaru will probably quit anyways. He won't fight more than he has to."

"You're so sure?"

Choji nodded. "It's weird enough that he's in the final match; he won't fight anymore than he has to."

**Break**

Back on the battlefield, Shikamaru had regained his lazy demeanor, staring jealously at the clouds.

'_Oh, if only the clouds knew how lucky they were, able to fly freely wherever the wind takes them without a care in the world. I bet they don't see a reason to fight, either. .I wanted to be a ninja so that I could be just like them, free to do live the wary I wanted…_' He returned his gaze to the battlefield, peeking out from behind the tree. '_But, I guess life's never that easy!_'

Tenten gasped and began jumping back as fast as she could as a shadow came shooting out of the trees. It quickly gained on her, but stopped short just before it caught up with her. Tenten stopped and grabbed a few shuriken out of her pouch, throwing them where the shadow's limit would be.

Tenten looked up, smirking. "Heh. I already know these moves from the forest. You can only manipulate your shadow, and while you can cross your shadow over others to increase its length, you can't manipulate the shape of any other shadow than your own, which is why you chose the shadowed area of the arena to launch your attacks!"

Shikamaru grunted, desperately wishing he hadn't had to reveal his abilities in the second exam. '_Damn you, Naruto! This is all your fault!_'

Neji sighed, turning away. '_It's over. As great a strategist as Shikamaru may be, it's useless if he's out of range. Tenten specializes in weapons, especially long-rangy types. He's finished._'

Shikamaru looked up at the sky and sighed, placing his respective fingers together, with his thumbs above his fingers.

"What's he doing now?" Kurenai asked Asuma in the box. "I've never seen a hand sign like that."

"That's because it's not. He's not initiating any jutsu at the moment. No, he's just following his habit."

"Habit?"

"Yes. He's the grand master of relaxation! He loves nothing more than sitting around letting time slip by, just like some old bat. He's always pestering me to play games like chess or shogi, or something like that, and whenever he's facing a tough decision, he always assumes that pose…"

"…And what exactly does that pose mean?"

"He's planning his strategy! And, truth be told, in all the dozens of times we've played, I've never beaten him. Not once!"

"Alright, fine. So he's good at board games, but this is a real-time battle! There's no time for things like that!"

"True enough, but those board games were based off of military strategists to plot their battles. So, I suppose strategy is where Shikamaru really shines! Though, his opponent also appears quite gifted in that field."

"Alright, fine, but I remember looking over the student's grades at the academy. Shikamaru's were as bad as Naruto's!"

"He'd always say it took too much effort to raise his pencil to take notes, and he always thought of exams as naptime. So, at one point, I was so baffled how he could fair so poorly in school, yet strive in games requiring so much intellect. So, one day I gave him an I.Q. test, convincing him it was just another game. I was just messing around, but…"

"…So? What did he score?"

Asuma grinned proudly. "Oh, he's impressive, all right! His I.Q. is over two hundred! He's a freakin' genius!"

"T-two hundred? That can't be…"

Shikamaru opened his eyes, released his hands and reached into his ninja pouch. "He's done thinking. Things are about to get interesting…"

Tenten switched from a scowl to an evil grin. "So, you finally ready? Alright, here!"

Tenten summoned more weapons, swiping her blood over the seals fast and throwing the scroll into the air, letting the weapons drop on her. She caught each and every one as they neared her, throwing them where Shikamaru was once kneeling. But he was too quick, and dived behind the nearest tree, tucking tail.

Tenten scowled again, growling. "Damn it, come and face me, coward!"

Shikamaru waited there for another fifteen minutes, ignoring the random wave of weapons that would strike the tree and the ground next to him. Then, after a particularly long barrage, he leapt out from behind the tree, grabbing some kunai and strapping something to the end, from the ground and hurling them into the air, where they arched and began their descent right at the spot right behind the line and to the right of Tenten. She stepped forward to avoid the incoming kunai, noticing that once they hit a package attached to the end unleashed caltrops to her rear and right side, and returned her attention to just beyond the line, just in time to see the shadow reach the line of shuriken in the ground.

'_Heh, looks like I overestima-what the?!_' Tenten leapt as far to the side as she could, since the area to the back and right were covered in caltrops. The shadow went right past the three shuriken and darted right at her. She leapt to the side once more, and grimaced as the shadow continued to approach hers, but stopped just a few centimeters away.

Tenten looked around, and raised her hand to block the sun, when it all clicked. "Heh, pretty clever. You waited for the sun to set a little before attacking, drawing my focus away from the shadow with the kunai, effectively forcing me up to the line, and then used the caltrops at the end to try and trap me when they scattered. But you missed my left side, leaving me an escape. But still, you caught me off guard with using the setting sun to increase your and the wall's shadows."

Shikamaru scoffed, slowly retracting his shadow. Tenten smirked, putting her plan into action.

'_Heh, the idiot. He's already forgotten how I beat Michiko with my Soshoryu. It's a little different, but it's the same principle. I've already scattered all the necessary weapons in the back, in all directions around him. Now all I've got to do is extend my chakra strings to pick them up, and he'll be surrounded. He'll have no choice but to surrender once he's surrounded by my weapons._'

Tenten gathered her Chakra in her fingertips, preparing to unleash it in a wave of strings and surround Shikamaru with her weapons. She crossed her hands as Shikamaru's shadow continued to retract. "Alright, sosho-" she suddenly went all rigid. "W-wha? That's not possible!"

Shikamaru released his hands, smirking in victory. "Ahh…Kagemane no Jutsu, success!"

Tenten stared, unable to properly voice her question. "Heh, you still haven't figured it out? Here, I'll give you a hand." Shikamaru tilted his head slightly to the left, as did Tenten, who gasped when she saw his shadow running through her weapons.

"When we first started fighting, you threw a line of weapons at me. It reaches all the way into the shadow. All I had to do was get you into the proper position, hence the caltrops and kunai, along with a little help from the sun. Then, while I retracted my shadow, I split it up and sent my other part through the shadows of your line of weapons, and came up right behind you. And you didn't suspect a thing."

Ino was gaping at the scene. "H-how…"

Choji started to shovel down chips in anticipation.

Kurenai was baffled. "H-how many steps ahead does this guy think?!"

Asuma shrugged. "Hundreds, I'm sure. I bet he could beat a supercomputer in shogi!"

"Amazing…" Sakura muttered.

"He's a talented one, all right." Kakashi applauded.

Michiko sighed. "Sorry, Yoko…I know you wanted to see Tenten use him as a pincushion…"

"Killkillkillkillkillkillkillkill…" Was her response as she watched the ensuing events.

"Calm down. It's not like anyone took pictures." Ryuunosuke sighed.

Naruto looked around, highly amused with the surprising turn of events. Despite all his training, he never would've thought to use the environment like that. And, by the stunned silence of his piers, including both top rookies, he smirked. '_Shikamaru never really showed any talent in school. Battle really does push one to the limit; the whole stadium wasn't really looking forward to this opening match, but everyone appears to be on the edge of their seats._' Naruto glanced over at the reserved rows. '_Victor hasn't stopped writing for over a minute._'

Shikamaru advanced, as did Tenten. Tenten gulped, expecting the same fate as Yoko, and she was not looking forward to revealing herself in front of the entire stadium. In moments, Shikamaru and herself stood less than a meter apart. Shikamaru opened his eyes, and raised his arm. '_If he gropes me, I'll castrate him!!_' She thought.

But Shikamaru kept raising his hand. The entire crowd gulped, wondering just what the boy would do now.

"I give up."

Half the crowd tripped.

"WHAT DID HE SAY?!"

"RIP-OFF!"

"IRONY IS A BITCH!!"

"Told you, Ino." Choji said, before savoring the last BBQ chip.

Tenten stared at him "Wh…what did you just say? You're not going to…you know…"

Shikamaru sighed. "As pleasant as that would be, I'm not about to embarrass our entire village by using such a tactic in front of all the important guests enjoying the exams. That special tactic was only meant to get by in the preliminaries. But, even though I've prepared another two hundred moves or so, I already used up all my Chakra to get this far. Besides, one match is all I need to show my skills. Any more would be a waste of a good nap." Shikamaru sighed as he felt his shadow begin to retract, and Tenten stumbled, having regained her movement.

Hayate coughed, clearing his throat. "The winner is Nanashi Tenten!"

Despite her victory, Tenten stood stone still, trying to process all that just happened. "Wait…you…wha?"

Hayate cleared his throat to gain their attention. "The next match will begin shortly. Please return to the spectator's box while we prepare for the second round!" Tenten's weapons disappeared in puffs of smoke, and Hayate tossed each of them a soldier pill, which Tenten just barely caught. They walked, somewhat awkwardly, up the stairs to meet with the remaining candidates.

"Well, that was quite the show." Naruto applauded.

"I was beside myself at the end." Hotaka complemented.

"Ah, shut up." Shikamaru pulled something large out of his ninja pouch. He unfolded it, an opened up a cap, and began blowing into it.

"…You brought an inflated chair?" Tenten asked.

"Yep." Blow "Like I'm gonna waste" Blow "Standing around."

"…I was caught by this lazy bastard?"

Shikamaru finished blowing it up and hopped into it, only to have it sink, with the sound of hissing air filling the room. Gaara and Sasuke glared at them in annoyance.

Shikamaru inspected his chair, and saw a small cut where the air was escaping near the bottom. "How…" He checked his pouch, and saw a puncture from a kunai. He glared at a smug Tenten. "Oi, you broke my chair…"

"Irony is a bitch." Tenten smirked, turning her back to him.

Suddenly, Hayate's voice echoed throughout the arena. "The second round of the Chunin Exams is about to begin. Would Sasaki Hotaka and Aburame Shino please step down to prepare!"

Shino began his descent, when he felt something tug on his arm. He tilted his head to observe, and saw a vine attached to his arm. Suddenly, he was given a strong tug, and fell very unceremoniously to the ground. He stood, glaring at Hotaka. "I suppose there was a reason for that."

Hotaka nodded, switching from playful to serious in nanoseconds. "Just making sure you're not a bunch of bugs this time."

Shino stared, but said nothing as he turned around. Hotaka removed the wood from under his wood, tossing it to the ground, and followed Hotaka.

Naruto sighed, waiting for the two to finish the long walk, and looked for someone to talk to. Sasuke was keeping to himself, as was Neji, Gaara was out of the question, which left Shikamaru and Tenten. He walked over to Shikamaru, figuring he'd make decent conversation.

Shikamaru was leaning on the railing, trying to get comfortable with his chair destroyed. "Hey, Shikamaru! What'd I miss during the exam?"

Shikamaru looked at him and raised his eyebrow. "Hn?"

"I mean, how'd the other half of the preliminaries go? Isn't Temari supposed to be here? And how'd fuzzy brows lose?"

Shikamaru sighed and rested his head on his hands placed on the railings. "Ask Tenten. Too troublesome."

Naruto growled. "You're not even going to watch the match?"

"It's obvious who's gonna win."

"Who?"

Shikamaru didn't reply, having already entered the happy sanctuary of his mind. Naruto growled, and walked over to Tenten. She was toying with a kunai near the end of the railing, apparently still embarrassed at underestimating the rookie. "Hey, Tenten!"

She turned. "Hn? Oh, it's you, Naruto."

"Those were some impressive techniques you used. I never knew you could store so many weapons in a scroll."

She sighed. "It took some practice, but I got it down after a while." She turned to him. "How about you? Learn anything new?"

Naruto shrugged. "A little of this, a little of that, ya know…So, what happened during the second part of the exam? Wasn't Temari supposed to fight?"

Tenten nodded. "Yeah, but she dropped out. Stupid, really. She would've been my first opponent, and with her wind attacks, it'd be impossible for my weapons to reach her. I think she may be taking care of her brother…oops." She turned back to Naruto, who seemed to be sulking.

"Please…don't remind me…"

"Sorry…you won't do it again, will you?"

"I shouldn't. At least, my teacher said I shouldn't have a problem with it, and that's good enough for me."

Tenten sighed. "Good. I was worried about what might happen to Neji if you went berserk like that on him…"

Naruto sighed. "Speaking of which, where's your other teammate? I was wondering how he could've lost…"

Tenten went silent for a moment, unsure how to answer that. "…Touchy subject. How about I start off with the other matches?"

Naruto looked down at the field, noting how neither combatant had made it down yet. "Sure. They sure are taking a while."

"Maybe they've already started…"

"No, they're not stupid. Anyways, go ahead."

"Well, it all started with Hotaka's match with Kiba. Kiba put up a good fight, but Hotaka trapped him and his dog Akamaru in a cage…Kiba wasn't happy."

Naruto laughed. "Hahaha! I can imagine dog-breath expression! Probably wining, just like a helpless puppy!"

Tenten giggled. "Yeah, something like that. Anyways, Yoko and Shikamaru fought after that, and…"

"I already know how that went…" '_AND WE DIDN'T GET A PEEK!!_' His inner pervert shouted again.

"And then, after that, Neji and Hinata fought. Neji won, but Hinata put up a good fight."

"Oh! That reminds me, I saw Hinata walk by my house one time. She didn't look well…what happened? Was she injured in the fight?"

Tenten flinched. "Well, you see…she, umm…" Naruto knew she wasn't just going to come out and say it, so he decided to use the mind reading skill Cloud helped him master.

'Neji nearly killed her, but I can't tell Naruto that. He may push himself too hard against Neji…'

Naruto didn't listen to anything else, and stated "He nearly killed her, didn't he?"

Tenten went stiff. "…How'd you know?"

"I guessed, based on your expression and what I saw." He lied, but it wasn't like he could tell her about his new skill. After all, he'd only ever used it in his berserker state while in Konoha.

"…Naruto, I think I know what you're thinking, but don't push yourself too hard against Neji."

"I'm sorry, but I can't promise anything."

"I see…but you need to understand, there's more to it than that…"

"I don't care. He almost killed his comrade. That's unacceptable, by any standards."

"…Naruto…"

"Let's move on. Who's match was next?"

"…Mine, against Michiko. We'd been rivals for a long time, you see…she used close range weapons, and I'd use long range ones. That match meant a lot to us, since we'd always wanted to fight. It was hard, but when I used my best move, Soshoryu, the proctor had no choice but to end the match, or she would've been seriously hurt."

"Was she?"

Tenten shook her head. "No, I stopped my attack before they hit. The last match was Lee versus Gaara, and…it didn't end well."

"Why?"

Tenten bowed her head. "Lee pushed himself too far. He almost won, but Gaara had too many tricks, and Lee wound up in the hospital. It's questionable if he may ever be fit enough for active duty again."

Silence. Though Tenten couldn't see it, his mouth was hanging wide open. Finally, he spoke up. "No…not him. He'd never accept that."

"Well, they haven't told him that. He's fit enough to walk around, but parts of his bone fractured into his muscle. They can't remove it at the risk of pieces breaking off and floating through the bloodstream into his heart. If that happened, he could die…"

"…There has to be a way…"

"Naruto…"

"I've got connections. I've got people who owe me some favors. I'll see what I can do." He turned to her, and gave her the good guy pose in tribute to Lee. "That's a promise!"

Tenten stared at him, unsure of what to say. "…Thanks for the concern, but Naruto-kun, but I think even the legendary Tsunade-Sama would have trouble with this."

"We'll see." Naruto looked down at the field again, and noticed that while they'd been talking, both Shino and Hotaka had taken their positions.

Hayate looked from one opponent to the other, and nodded. "The second round of the Chunin exams, Sasaki Hotaka versus Aburame Shino, begin!"

Hotaka pulled out four shuriken and threw them at Shino. Shino did nothing himself, but ordered his bugs to form a shield. He held out his hand, and his bugs crawled out, knitting themselves together to form a proper shield. The shuriken dug in between the bugs, which Shino took for himself as his bugs returned. Hotaka had used the time to circle to the left and dropped seeds every few steps.

Tenten called over to Neji "Neji! Where's he getting those seeds?"

Neji activated his Byakugan, narrowing his eyes. "Ingenious. He's using a capsule on each arm at the wrist, with a spring forcing the seeds out every time he presses a lever that reaches just above his wrist on his palm, which he presses with his middle finger. A quick tap releases a single seed, but the longer he holds it down, I'm guessing the more seeds will come out."

"Interesting…" Naruto pondered. "He appears to be using this as his backup plan, or, more likely, he's preparing something big."

Back on the field, Shino remained at the ready, awaiting whatever Hotaka had up his sleeve. Hotaka quickly made some hand seals, and placed his palms on the ground. The crowd couldn't hear the name of the technique, but it was nonetheless impressive.

From the ground, twelve massive tentacles of wood shot out, and charged straight for Shino. As they sped towards their target, they continued to span out, growing branches and leaves. It was a magnificent sight, which earned Hotaka many gasps and cheers.

Shino stood there, unworried. When the wood began to near him, he tapped his foot on the ground, which collapsed beneath him. Hotaka had no time to alter the course of the wood as it crashed into the spot where Shino had once stood, covering the hole, and making further access impossible.

'_Damn! I still haven't learned how to retract the wood!_' Hotaka thought, looking around. He had no idea where to grow the roots so it would hit. It would just be a waste of chakra.

'_He's good, far better than I expected. I never thought he'd be able to use the terrain in such a way only using his insects._' Hotaka continued to scan the arena, looking for any sign of Shino, and he finally caught one. He pressed the lever on the lower part of his palms, bringing out a few more seeds, and threw them in the area where he saw a small crack in the ground. He quickly went through more hand seals and slammed one palm into the ground. He ran a string of chakra over to the seeds, feeding them his chakra. They grew into the ground, and ran throughout a small tunnel until they latched onto the body of Shino. They then forced their way above ground, carrying the body of Shino with them.

Shino struggled against the vines, desperately tugging, but they'd firmly secured all four limbs. He was trapped. Hotaka walked over to him, having the wood place him at ground level so they could speak. He stopped about a meter away from Shino, and smirked.

"I'll admit, you took me by surprise when we started. You had your bugs dig around underground for you at the start of the match when I was planting my seeds, planning an escape route for yourself. Then, you'd dig around and wait for a chance to strike, am I correct?"

Shino shook his head. "No. The first part, you accurately deduced, but I'm afraid you've still forgotten to take note of a few details."

Hotaka went to a guard, wary of any danger. "And what would those be?"

"First, my goal wasn't to look for you. I had expected to get caught. To which, I prepared a backup plan."

Michiko looked skeptical. "He's completely trapped. What can he do?"

Ryuunosuke smirked behind his hand. "Ahh…I see."

"See what, Sensei?" Yoko asked.

Meanwhile, Naruto was asking the same thing.

"It's over. Shino can't move."

"No." Shikamaru yawned. "Shino's won this."

Sasuke scoffed, walking up to the rail. "Oh really? Well, how?"

Shikamaru sighed. "You haven't seen it? Use your Sharingan."

Sasuke grudgingly abided, and narrowed his eyes. "Ah…I see…"

"See what?" Naruto asked, avoiding reading their minds to sound more natural.

Ryuunosuke chuckled. "Hotaka's gotten cocky. He thinks that just because Shino is captured that he has the advantage. He's forgotten that Shino has an army of insects at his command."

"And not only that, but those insects feed on chakra." Shikamaru added.

Yoko's eyes widened. "You don't mean…"

"What?" Michiko asked.

"What is Hotaka's wood made of?" Shikamaru asked.

"…Oh!" Michiko exclaimed.

"Now it makes sense." Naruto commented.

"So that means…" Tenten pondered.

Shikamaru nodded. "Yes, even now…"

"The wood has Chakra running through it." Ryuunosuke continued.

"Shino's insects feed on Chakra."

"So even now, his insects are feeding on the Chakra in the wood, killing and weakening it, which means…"

"At any moment, the wood will be weak enough for Shino to break free!" Shikamaru and Ryuunosuke finished their explanations at the exact same time.

At that exact moment, Shino broke free from the weakened wood and threw the same four Shuriken he'd been holding on to back at Hotaka, who quickly pulled out a kunai and parried all of the incoming Shuriken. As soon as he finished, he put the kunai in his mouth and flipped through more seals, and cupped his hands together, and whistled through them, creating a hollow sound.

"What's he doing now?" Naruto asked.

"Genjutsu." Sasuke replied. "Hotaka's other specialty. It's a sound Genjutsu, so both Shino and his bugs will be affected, along with anyone else hearing it. So, we'll all be caught up in whatever Hotaka has planned."

Shino didn't seem to notice this, and rushed at Hotaka. But just then, a huge forest sprouted up, full of tall trees and shrubs. Hotaka jumped into a tree, which he seemed to phase into. Shino ran after him, but ran right into the tree, unable to pass through.

"That's quite a genjutsu." Kakashi commented. "He's managed to convince Shino that the forest is real, and is unable to pass through anything his mind considers to be real. Hotaka truly is a Genjutsu prodigy."

"Amazing…" Sakura commented. "He's managed to fool the majority of the stadium, and even managed to work past most of the attempts to break it!"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, but Hotaka's been pushed into a corner. Mokuton will just feed Shino's insects, and this is the last area where he has any special skill in, besides sensing Chakra. This is his last resort…"

Hotaka jumped from each area where he placed a tree, each time knowing Shino was unable to follow. After a dozen hops, Shino had lost track of him. He was beginning to feel the effects of using too much Chakra, so Hotaka used another genjutsu to disguise himself as a shrub, and followed Shino as he ran through the forest. After a minute of running, he was right behind Shino, and was about to punch him out. He raised his fist, but Shino whirled around and beat him to it, burying his fist deep in Hotaka's gut. Hotaka exhaled sharply, and fell to his knees, suddenly feeling extremely heavy.

"Wh-what's going on?" He questioned.

Shino made the ram sign, and muttered "Kai." The whole Genjutsu immediately disappeared, for everyone.

Hotaka shakily stood, gasping. "H-how…what? My Genjutsu…"

"That wasn't your Genjutsu. Yours ended shortly after it was cast."

Various murmurs echoed throughout the stadium, most of pure confusion, but from the elite shinobi, there were words of praise.

"When you dug me out from the underground tunnels, I left half my insects there to continue digging. They burrowed small tunnels just large enough for them beneath your feet. When I threw the shuriken back at you after my remaining insects had killed the wood, you had to parry them, and that was the chance for my little friends to quickly dig their way out and scurry up your legs, in those few precious seconds. While you molded Chakra, I ordered them to do nothing, allowing you to perform your Genjutsu for a moment. I quickly got an idea what it was, and through the Genjutsu training that Kurenai-Sensei gave us, I was able to at least produce an image of your Genjutsu. I couldn't affect more than one sense at that massive level, but visual images of any time are simple to put up. So while touch is extremely difficult to induce, since you didn't expect to feel anything from the trees, there was no need to incorporate that. Then, once it was up, I ordered my insects to eat the Chakra you were using towards the Genjutsu, canceling it, but leaving my copy image up. So, I acted like I was still under the influence, when I could see your every more. Slowly, my insects ate more and more Chakra, until you finally began feeling the effects of Chakra exhaustion. So, you tried to end it, but extra Chakra you thought you were using to disguise yourself as a shrub was once again eaten, and I saw you approach me, and was easily able to counter your move. Then, I allowed my insects to eat as much Chakra as they wished, immediately draining you. And that, Hotaka, is my victory."

The crowd stared in awe of Shino's plan, amazed that a rookie could come up with something this effective against a far more experienced ninja.

Hotaka smiled sadly, amazed that he'd been beaten by a rookie. "That was your real backup plan all along, wasn't it? I underestimated you…"

"You did."

Hotaka raised his hand with the last of his energy. "I surrender." He said, before collapsing. Shino managed to catch him before he fell, withdrawing his insects from Hotaka's body.

Hayate smirked, amazed at the accomplishments of another rookie. "The winner of the second round is Aburame Shino!" The crowd erupted in applause, this time knowing there was a clear victor. Hayate walked over to Shino and Hotaka, giving both soldier pills. "Neither of you received any physical damage. These pills should do." Hotaka grabbed his and swallowed it, as did Shino. After thirty seconds, Hotaka was able to stand by himself again.

Shino let go of Hotaka, who extended his hand. "Good fight. I'll make sure to train hard, and one day, I'll be back, so watch out!"

Shino looked at the hand, and extended his own, giving it a firm handshake. Then, the two made their way up the stairs, arriving much faster than they had descended.

"You were cocky, Hotaka." Naruto lectured.

Hotaka twitched. "Oh, like you can talk, Mr. 'And none of you are gonna beat me!'

Naruto shrugged. "Well, that isn't being cocky. That is the truth." All glares dug straight into Naruto's skin. "What?"

"You've got no right to lecture him, dobe." Sasuke smirked.

"I'll wipe that smirk off your face when I'm in the final round!"

"Yeah, when pigs fly."

"Actually-" Naruto caught himself before revealing what he read about Hojo's experiments. "Ah, I'll kick your ass either way!"

"Whatever, loser."

"Does every word they exchange result in an argument?" Tenten asked Hotaka.

"Sadly, it appears so."

"Wow, they're worse than me and Michiko."

"Michiko and _I_" Naruto corrected.

"…" Smack, via Tenten.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"For being a grammar Nazi!"

"Ah, touché!"

Somewhere in Konoha, Iruka twitched.

"What's with you two?"

"Nothing." Naruto replied, rubbing the back of his head.

**Break**

Back with the Hokage and Kazekage, both were admiring the quality of the Genin.

"Konoha truly has some impressive candidates, especially among the rookies. If I'm correct, half the competitors are from the rookie class…"

The Hokage nodded. "Yes, our future is bright, but I'm also expecting quite a performance from your Gaara against our young Uchiha Sasuke. It'll be quite the spectacle."

The Kazekage nodded. "Yes…I'm sure that's the reason many of the feudal lords have arrived today. This is to be a fight of special magnificence."

"Yes, and next we have quite an interesting match-up: Uzumaki Naruto against Hyuga Neji. I'm looking forward to it."

The Kazekage was silent for a moment, before turning back to the Hokage. "My subordinate Baki-san told me an interesting thing…" The Hokage's eyes hardened. "He told me that the boy had the ability to allow another identity to control his body, and multiply his power by several factors…beyond Jonin, possibly Kage level. Is this true?"

The Hokage nodded stiffly. "Yes, but I pray he controls it. When that other identity comes out, he attacks everything he sees. He cannot be controlled."

"I see…so it's like a split personality, then?"

"Possibly."

The Kazekage closed his eyes in thought. "Well then, as selfish as it sounds, I wish to see this power." The Hokage gave him a questioning glance. "It would be an amazing thing to witness such strength from one so young. I'm actually looking forward to his match more than ever."

"I see…" The Hokage turned back to Hayate, and nodded.

**Break**

"Attention, the next match of the Chunin selection exams is about to begin. The third match will consist of Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyuga Neji. Would the combatants please enter the arena at this time!"

Gaara twitched in excitement; signs of a sadistic smile flashed on his face.

Neji smirked, already walking to the stairway. "I'll be waiting, Uzumaki." With that, he left."

Tenten wished Neji luck, then turned to Naruto. "Naruto-kun…please just forget about Hinata. No Genin can beat Neji, so please don't push it!"

Naruto chuckled. "Relax, Tenten-chan. I'll be fine. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, too. Just watch!"

"Neji's fast, and deadly with Juken. Watch out." Hotaka warned.

"Yeah, even if it's just a tap, that alone may take you down, and watch out for his tenketsu strikes. That's how he beat Hinata." Shikamaru added.

Naruto nodded. "Thanks. I'll remember that.

Sasuke scoffed. "Hn. You'd better win then, dobe. It'd be a shame if I missed such a perfect opportunity to beat you."

"We'll see."

Naruto turned to leave, but another voice caught his attention.

"Naruto" Cloud called from the opposite stairway. Everyone turned around to the man in the same clothing as Naruto, except that his cloak had a picture of a winding dragon with horns on the back instead of a wolf. "Here." Cloud held out Naruto's Buster Sword, all shined up and ready for combat.

Surprisingly, Naruto raised his hand. "Not this time. From what they've told me about the Hyuga fighting style, I'll be needing my speed. And the same will probably go for Sasuke. I'll use it in the finals."

Cloud nodded and strapped it to his back, along with his own sword, The First Tsurugi. "Alright. Come pick it up when you're ready."

Naruto nodded and turned around, heading down the stairs and into the arena. Cloud mirrored his actions and planned on returning to his seat.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, walking after the older man.

"Oi, Sasuke, what're you doing?" Hotaka asked.

"Naruto's changed. He actually figured out what was happening during your fight, and I'm sure this man can give us some answers."

"Oh really?" Tenten asked.

"No idea, but maybe he can describe anything new we see."

"Nah, too troublesome." Shikamaru complained. "I'm staying right here, thank you very much.

"I'm not concerned." Shino noted.

"I'll go. I'm out, anyways."

"I'll come too." Tenten said.

Sasuke sighed, annoyed by the unwanted company. "Do what you want." He said, before following after Cloud with Hotaka and Tenten on his tail.

**Break**

Meanwhile, Naruto had just walked out into the arena. He looked up, and shielded his eyes from the sun by pulling the hood of his cloak farther down. He stepped into the center of the arena, facing Neji.

"Why did you do it?"

"Hm?"

"Hinata. Why did you do it?"

"That's none of your concern."

"She is my comrade, and fellow Konoha ninja. That is reason enough. So, why did you do it?"

"…You really want to know?"

"Duh."

"Fine." Neji undid his forehead protector, removing it, and revealed a swastika mark between two lines on his forehead. "This."

"…What? She draw on you with permanent marker or something?"

Neji scowled. "No, you idiot. She is a member of the Main house of Hyuga, and I am a lowly Branch member. We who are given this seal are bound to service of the Main Branch for the course of our lives. When I was of the age of four, I was branded with this mark. Do you remember those events? It was a festive day in Konoha, because we were to sign a treaty with Kumogakure. They had sent their strongest ninja to participate. However, not all the village was in celebration. For the Hyuga clan had another festivity: the third birthday of the house heir, Hyuga Hinata. And on that day, I was given this curse seal as a permanent symbol of my place. I became a Branch member, and was forever resigned to that fate."

"So, what's so bad about that?"

"The Main Family has the power to destroy the minds of us Branch members through a simple hand seal. We are the tool of the Main Branch, to be sacrificed as they see fit. I saw that quite clearly just a week later. On the night of the Cloud ninja's leave, he entered the Hyuga compound, and kidnapped Hinata-Sama. But he was clumsy, and killed by Hiashi-Sama. It soon became apparent that Kumo was after the secret of the Byakugan from the very beginning, and that these events were merely to lull Konoha into a false sense of security so that they could kidnap the heiress. However, Kumo completely ignored that fact, and focused only on how their strongest ninja had been killed. They demanded compensation in the form of Hyuga Hiashi-Sama's corpse. Of course, this was another attempt at the Byakugan. So Konoha gave into these demands and handed over a double." He swallowed. "My father, the brother of Hiashi-Sama, was sacrificed for the sake of the village in his stead!"

"…But you still haven't explained why you hurt Hinata."

"Don't you get it? This seal is meant to seal the Byakugan should we die. Our servitude only ends with the fate we all share…death." He sighed, before looking up. "I was destined to fight Hinata-Sama, and at that point in time, I was destined to win, but she is destined for victory over all Hyuga as the heir to the Main Branch. The only way to escape is death, and even then, our power, the Byakugan, is forever sealed. That is my fate, and I cannot escape it, just as your fate is to lose this match!"

"…So, are you going to get around to why you hurt Hinata anytime soon?"

"Haven't you been listening?"

"Yes, and I got a history lesson. I wanted to know what Hinata did to you to make you try and kill her. So?" Neji was about to say something, but was cut off. "Before you speak, I don't want to hear a word about the Main or Branch family, parents or village. I want to hear about you and Hinata, and what she did to you personally to deserve your hate."

Neji growled. "You…"

"Are absolutely right." He finished.

"You don't get it at all."

"No, you're just making no sense."

Neji was about to say something, but calmed himself. "Enough. I know why I did what I did, and I know that I am fated to do the same here. Now, prepare yourself."

Naruto grinned beneath his hood. "Heh. Looks like I won the verbal battle. That's one-zip!"

"We'll see who's laughing after you're hooked up to an I.V."

**Break**

Sasuke, Hotaka and Tenten ran up to the central box, searching for the man who'd just disappeared.

"I recognize that cloak. I saw two people wearing it in the reserved rows in the front." Sasuke said. "He said they were his friends."

Hotaka narrowed his eyes. "I heard about those rows…reserved for a mysterious organization that popped up overnight. I heard a rumor that they're the ones that took Naruto away."

"It looks that way…" Tenten commented.

They ran down the stairs, trying to reach the first area of the arena, but stopped when they saw Kakashi, Gai, Sakura and Lee already at the front. Kakashi turned to them and smiled beneath his mask. "Ah, it seems we had the same idea."

"So it seems…" Sasuke muttered. "When did Lee and Gai get here?"

"We were worried about Neji! Naruto's flames of youth have been igniting into a raging inferno as of late!" Gai screamed.

"…What he means is that they want to know if he'll go berserk again." Kakashi muttered.

"Exactly! We have to watch out for our team."

"Right, Lee!" Gai gave the good guy pose. "And Tenten! Excellent match, and may youth be with you against Shino as well!"

Tenten sweatdropped. "Uh…thank you, Sensei, Lee…"

"Hotaka!" Michiko shouted as Hotaka's team came down. "Sorry you lost, but still, you put up a good fight!"

Hotaka sighed. "I got a little cocky, I know…I'll make sure I work on that for the next exam."

Yoko sighed. "So, why is everyone gathered around here?"

"We're about to listen to a little story, right?" Kakashi asked Cloud, sitting at the end.

Cloud looked up from the battlefield, over to the shinobi. "Alright, what is it you want to know?"

"What have you been up to?"

"Training."

"…And?"

"Fighting."

"You could be a little less vague."

"And you could withdraw these pesky ANBU guards, but that isn't going to happen, is it?" Cloud questioned.

"It'd be nice if we could avoid any hostilities. As his sensei, I have a right to know."

"As I recall, I was the one teaching him."

Kakashi twitched. "You know, I really want to stab you right now."

Arash, who was sitting next to Cloud, stood up and strung an arrow, aiming right at Kakashi. "You'd be dead before your blade was drawn!"

Four ANBU immediately had Arash surrounded, with kunai pressed to his throat. Arash looked around warily, before his gaze landed on Cloud. Cloud raised his hand, then lowered it, signaling Arash to do the same. Still staring at Kakashi, Arash released the tension, and replaced the arrow in his quiver, sitting down and placing his bow in front of him, plucking the string. The ANBU disappeared as quickly as they'd arrived. Most people had been in their own conversations, and hadn't even noticed what was going on.

"Well, that was interesting." Kakashi hummed.

"Great. A band of psychos." Ryuunosuke pondered.

Cloud let the comment slip, turning to their hosts. "Forgive him, he's been a little on edge. Please avoid such threats for the time being."

"…Alright, but will you tell me what I want to hear?"

"I'm not sure you want to hear it."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What don't I want to hear?"

Cloud sighed, standing up. He turned to the rest of the WRO and nodded. "Come. We'll use the second and third row. They're reserved, so feel free to sit where you want."

Cloud walked and sat in the center of the second row. Lee, Tenten and Gai sat on his right, with Gai supporting Lee as he walked on his crutches. Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura sat on his left, Michiko, Hotaka, Yoko, and Ryuunosuke sat behind him.

"Alright, now just where did you take Naruto?" Kakashi continued to do the talking.

"I can't tell you that."

"Oh? And why's that?"

Cloud sighed. "Naruto's sure been in the spotlight lately, hasn't he?"

"You could say that, what with him going berserk left and right."

"Well, if you really want to see what we did, just take a look in the arena."

"Why?" Sakura asked.

"They're starting, of course."

**Break**

"The third match of the Chunin Exams, Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyuga Neji, begin!" Hayate shouted.

"So, you like close combat, don't ya?"

"…What're you getting at?"

"This!" Naruto charged right into Neji. Neji quickly adopted the Juken stance with Byakugan active, waiting for a chance to attack. Naruto threw a fast punch at his face, but Neji easily knocked it away, and aimed to blast Naruto in the stomach. Naruto saw this, and sideslipped to the right, trying to roundhouse kick him, but Neji weaved low, managing to avoid it, and tried to strike one of Naruto's tenketsu in his shoulder, but Naruto leaned forward just in time, causing Neji to overshoot. Now in close, Naruto tried to knee Neji, but it was parried, so he tried a right hook, but Neji once again knocked it away. Neji aimed for another strike to the stomach, but Naruto jumped back, putting a few meters between them.

**Break**

"Tch. Idiot. He was told to avoid close combat." Sasuke muttered.

"This won't last long if he stays close." Tenten analyzed.

Cloud chuckled. "No, listen."

Back on the field, Neji taunted. "Hm, you're the same bum-rushing idiot as always."

"Heh, I'm just getting warmed up."

"Cocky bastard." Sasuke scoffed.

"No, he meant it."

"Hm?"

"That was nothing more than a warm-up for Naruto."

"How's that?" Hotaka asked.

Cloud rested his chin on his palm. "He wasn't there in the preliminaries to see how Juken works. He just wanted to test just how Juken operates, to know his opponent."

"So, if you're right…" Michiko muttered.

"Yes. This is where things get interesting."

**Break**

Naruto rushed in again, this time trying to uppercut his chin. Neji tilted his head back, and brought his own arm up to strike a tenketsu. But Naruto saw that coming, and brought his fist back down, square into Neji's face. Neji didn't have enough time to react, and staggered back, trying to recover from the blow.

"Y-you…"

"Y-yes, me." Naruto taunted.

Naruto rushed in again, grabbing hold of Neji's arm as he tried to strike Naruto. Neji tried again, and Naruto grabbed that one, too. Then, Naruto brought him in close, and delivered a bone-shattering headbutt. Neji staggered back after Naruto let him go, rubbing his skull.

'_A headbutt? Is he completely insane?!_'

Naruto smirked as Neji recovered. "Just quit now. It won't be getting any easier.

Neji scoffed. "Fine. No more holding back."

**Break**

"Did Naruto just…" Lee asked.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, he did."

"He hit Neji twice…" Gai muttered.

"Just what has he been up to…?" Sasuke asked.

"More than I can say in one sitting." Cloud answered.

"Obviously…no illegal drugs were used in his training, right?" Kakashi asked.

"No, not really. Nothing like steroids, at least."

"But…"

"…Some were used for the purpose of training, mainly to numb the pain, or to decrease the time of sleep needed, but no drugs were used to permanently alter his body."

"So…when did he get so strong?"

"…Now that, is an interesting story."

**Break**

Naruto rushed at Neji once more, trying to punch him in the face, but Neji deflected it above him. Naruto around with his arm and tried a back kick, which Neji sidestepped and moved in. Naruto swept his leg back, performing a small backflip as he bicycle kicked, but Neji blocked it above. Naruto caught himself with one hand and tried kicking with his other leg, but Neji once again deflected the strike, knocking it down. Naruto planted that foot in the ground and kicked up, removing his other leg from Neji's block and flipping behind him. Neji spun around to meet him and deflected another punch, but just barely knocked the right hook Naruto sent, having to lean back to fully avoid it. Naruto kept the momentum going and spun around, leaping into the air and kicked while he flew. Neji ducked, but Naruto landed and tried again from the ground, forcing Neji to hop over it, but once again, Naruto surprised him by leaping up into the air again with the same momentum and tried another circle kick with his right leg. Neji just managed to knock it over him, but realized this was a mistake as Naruto used his left leg to strike with the same kick, crashing right into the sides of Neji's ribcage.

Neji lay on the ground for a moment, recovering from the pain. He slowly stood up, noting that Naruto had stopped his barrage. Even when not holding back, it was getting harder and harder to get on the offensive. In the previous engagement, he hadn't been able to try and strike once.

Naruto chuckled. "Is this all the house of Hyuga can do? I'm not impressed."

"Hn…don't think I'm finished just yet."

"Oh, more chances to humiliate you? By all means!"

"We'll see."

**Break**

"Naruto didn't gain all of his strength from me. He was already powerful before we even left."

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, he had talent, but…he was the bottom of his class…"

"That's because you've only been taking him at face value, since it seemed that's all there was." Feeling their gaze, he continued. "But, the Hokage saw it, and decided to try and help it manifest."

"How?"

"Before Naruto was in class with the rest of you, he was actually in a class two years above the rest of the rookies. He was accepted into the academy two years before students are normally accepted."

Kakashi nodded. "I see…"

"What? What do you see?" Michiko asked.

"Naruto failed the graduation exam two years straight, each time having to repeat the final year. Every time, he'd be bumped back, until he was finally with his own age group. That year, he finally passed the exam."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "So, looks like they were wrong about that potential, then."

Cloud shook his head. "No, they were right, and it did manifest at an incredible rate."

"And how do you see that?" Gai asked.

"Naruto's no genius, by any rate. It takes a huge effort to master a new technique. But Naruto wasn't lazy, and while he pulled pranks, he spent more time than anyone mastering the basics. In fact, he was one of the first people in his class, with students two years older than him, mind you, to master all of the basic ninja arts."

"But Naruto could hardly make one clone during our graduation exam, and it was horrible!" Sakura commented.

"True, but there's a reason for that."

"…Which is?"

"First, let me finish: Naruto's taijutsu at the time was above average for children his age, and by his first attempt at graduation, he was about as strong as Lee was half a year after becoming a Genin. His Genjutsu was also developing at a steady pace, and I already told you about his Ninjutsu. Whenever he was alone, he would train nonstop. That's how he became strong enough to carry the Buster Sword out of the forest. He was determined to overcome his failures, thinking he was just too weak, never realizing what was really holding him back."

"Then why did he finish last?" Yoko asked.

"Quite simple." Cloud paused. "He was afraid."

**Break**

Naruto smirked, ready to attack once more. He leapt ten feet into the air, extending his leg out to strike at Neji.

Neji stood there, contemplating his options. '_No choice, then. I'll have to use the Kaiten.'_

Naruto continued his descent, but became wary when Neji didn't more, or try to block his attack. He quickly read his mind, but too late. His kick impacted a sudden wall of Chakra, and Neji began to spin around, creating a spinning sphere of Chakra, throwing Naruto off to the side. "Hakkesho Kaiten!"

Naruto stood up shakily, staring at Neji. "Interesting…but you can't keep doing that forever…"

"You're right." Neji relented. "This next attack will end it."

"Oh, now who's getting cocky?"

Neji smirked. "I have every right to be."

Naruto shrugged it off. "Alright, fine! I'll take anything you can dish out!"

"Heh. Never bite off more than you can chew."

**Break**

"He was afraid?" Sakura asked. "Not Naruto; he was always the one getting us into trouble."

"No, he was afraid. During every fight, he put up a tough front, but inside, he was panicking. During the exams, he was afraid of failure, and found focusing impossible, limiting his strength, and made completing techniques impossible. The same can be said for everything else Naruto's done. He was horrible at manipulating Chakra because he was worried about messing up, he was below average in Taijutsu because he'd just rush blindly into things, too afraid to think of a plan of attack, and he was horrible in combat because he was afraid of messing up. That's why he always shouted, to make it seem like he was never afraid. But he was, and he suffered for it."

"However, there have been times when he's risen above his fear, and allowed his true strength to manifest."

"And when would this be?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm sure you all know about the events that took place right after he failed the exam for the third time, Mizuki tricked him into stealing the forbidden scroll, from which he mastered the shadow clone technique in just under twelve hours. He mastered a forbidden Jonin-level technique in seven hours through his nonstop training routine. And then, when Iruka was put in danger, Naruto, for the first time in his life, let go of his fear, and summoned all of his power, creating over a thousand clones to defeat Mizuki. Therefore, it could be argued that at this point, Naruto was already at Chunin level combat-wise."

Mouths dropped. "I find that rather hard to believe…"

"Believe what you want, but our witness was Iruka. Shortly after the preliminaries, I took him to a special training field where we trained with shadow clones to master various arts. In those forty days, Naruto began to trust me, and was easily able to let go of fear when I was around. I saw his true power, his unlocked potential, and believe me, it was most impressive."

"So, what happened when he wasn't around you?" Tenten asked.

"Well, that was a problem. His fear would return, and he'd freeze up, at least according to Arash. But five days ago, Arash helped Naruto let go of his fears completely. He told him about how we can't afford to be afraid of what might happen, and that we have to focus on what we want to happen. There's more to it than that, but that's another story for another setting. On that day, Naruto learned to completely let go of his fear, and I stopped being his teacher. I've got no doubt that Naruto will win this tournament, no matter how strong the rest of you are."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the insult. "And how do you figure that?"

Cloud kept his gaze on the battlefield, watching Naruto's every move. "Because, everyone in the exam is obviously at Chunin level, but Naruto, with his skills, he could easily achieve the rank of Tokubetsu Jonin specializing in combat, without question."

"!!!" Was their reply.

"You may be overestimating his abilities just a liiiiiitle bit, there." Kakashi said skeptically.

Cloud shook his head. "You haven't seen what I've seen. Just watch; it'll be over soon."

**Break**

Neji took a stance slightly different than his normal Juken stance. I was much deeper, with his arms spread farther apart. "This is the end."

"Oh? And how's that?"

Neji smirked. "I was planning on using this attack if you went berserk, but I suppose using it now isn't going to hurt."

Naruto looked questionably at the attack. It was undoubtedly another Juken move, so he figured his aura armor could take the blunt of it. "Fine. Do it. I won't even move." Naruto relaxed his guard and put his arms behind his head. He decided to quickly read the Hyuga's mind. '_He's going to try to block my tenketsu, huh? Oh well, my aura armor will protect me_.'

Neji closed his eyes for a moment, focusing his Chakra, before opening them, staring straight at Naruto. "Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!" Neji rushed at Naruto, who just kept his laid back demeanor.

Until…

Neji reached him and pressed his index and middle fingers of both hands into Naruto, shooting a small needle of Chakra into him and blocking his tenketsu "Two Palms!"

'_WHAT?!_' Naruto felt the needles cut right through his aura armor and block his tenketsu '_Damn, I underestimated him…!!_'

"Four Palms!" More strikes. "Eight Palms!" Naruto growled, trying to dodge, but couldn't regroup fast enough. "Sixteen Palms!" Naruto found it was getting hard to keep his balance. "Thirty-two Palms!" Naruto gasped as he felt his muscles constrict. "Sixty-four Palms!" Naruto was knocked back by the force. He landed with a thud on the ground, finding it impossible to get up.

'_Damn, I'm powerless!_' Naruto thought as he felt his strength drift away. '_I overestimated my armor…_'

Neji chuckled, amused at the sight of Naruto trying to stand. "It's useless. I've blocked your tenketsu. You won't even be able to stand."

Naruto sighed, looking up into the stands to where Cloud was. They met eyes, and Cloud nodded, which made Naruto smile.

**Break**

"…I wouldn't call that Jonin level combat." Kakashi sighed.

"I told him, no Genin can beat Neji." Tenten sighed.

"Naruto-kun…" Lee muttered.

"Maybe we eliminated too much fear…" Arash turned and spoke to Cloud, who shook his head.

"He just wanted to show off on his premiere match."

"And look where it landed him, the idiot." Michiko huffed.

"No, it's not like how Hotaka lost. Naruto still has one last trick up his sleeve; his last resort."

"What?" Lee asked.

Cloud pointed at the battlefield. "Soon, none of you will question Naruto's status ever again."

**Break**

"…What?!" Neji exclaimed as Naruto managed to roll over. He struggled, but managed to lift himself up on his hand and knees. His left arm slipped out from underneath him, but he kept himself secure with his right. He struggled, but he managed to kneel, and force himself up on his legs completely. He looked up, breathing heavily as his body shook, but stood his ground.

"…You're pathetic, Hyuga." Naruto muttered.

"Hmph. I'm not the one who lost, idiot."

Naruto smirked. "Oh, this is far from over."

"Oh, really." Neji scoffed.

"I've still got one killer move up my sleeve."

"Oh yeah? And how are you going to use it without any Chakra?"

"Hmph. Don't underestimate me."

"I'm not underestimating you, I merely follow the path fate has set for me. I've won, and that's the end of it, just as it was your destiny to lose."

"Oh, shut up! Blablabla fate, blablabla destiny, blablabla Branch family, get over it! Stop wining about not being able to do anything and stand up for yourself if you don't like the way something's going instead of using that same damn excuse over and over again! It makes me sick! No, I'll never lose to a coward like you!"

"…You'll never get it, will you?" Neji's calm expression was suddenly replaced by one of rage. "How would you know what carrying a curse all your life can feel like? How could you possibly understand what it means?!"

'_Did…he just say that to me, the container of the Nine-tailed fox? HA!'_

"Actually, I gotta say, I understand it pretty well." Naruto staggered, but continued. "And, so what?"

Neji's eyes hardened. Naruto met his and stood his ground, chuckling beneath his black hood. "Get over yourself. You're not the only one who's special around here. Hinata realizes it too. She puts up with all this pressure and expectation as a Hyuga heiress, but through it all, she keeps on trying to improve herself, and faced her fears when she fought you, pushing her body to the limit! And you were supposed to protect the Main family, but you tried to kill Hinata in the exam; you wanted to defy your destiny too, didn't you?!"

Neji flinched, lowering his gaze, before returning it to eye level. "That's enough. Proctor, I'm going for the kill. Feel free to stop me, if you must. Or perhaps you weren't bluffing about that new move, after all?"

Naruto smirked. "Just watch."

Naruto closed his eyes, and prepared his final attack.

**Break**

"What's he doing?" Sakura asked.

"He's ending this." Cloud replied.

"How will he do that without Chakra?"

"Oh, he still has Chakra, just very minute amounts. Neji altered it so that Naruto has just enough to live, but that's more than enough for Naruto's needs."

"…Is this another one of your strange arts?" Gai asked.

Cloud nodded. "Yes."

"What kind?" Hotaka asked.

"It's not so much a single move as it is a release. It's the necessary precursor to Naruto's most powerful attacks."

"And just what is this move called?" Kakashi asked.

"It's called…"

**Break**

"…Limit Break!"

Naruto burst five Chakra coils, one in each arm and leg, and one in the center of his chest. He felt the freed Chakra flow throughout his body, and just as quickly as he power arrived, the coils repaired themselves, severing the abundant Chakra from escaping. The Chakra began to seep out of his pores, surrounding him in a blue aura.

Neji stared as Naruto stood upright, immediately healing all scratches and scrapes. He saw the tenketsu flow freely once again via speeded recovery from Naruto's healing. "H-ho" He never finished that sentence.

Naruto leapt for him, faster than the human eye can record, and uppercut him into the air. Neji flew thirty feet in the air from that alone, but Naruto wasn't done. He quickly jumped up to meet Neji, and punched him up with him. Now, they were level with the main boxes, giving them a clear view. Naruto could've continued to beat on Neji, but instead, he backflipped in the air and kicked Neji back down to earth. He quickly created a shadow clone and launched it to intercept Neji right before he hit the earth. The clone landed hard, and let Neji use him as a landing cushion. The real Naruto landed feet from the real Neji and the clone. The clone tossed Neji on the ground and disappeared, its task complete.

Neji stared at Naruto, not believing what just happened. "…H-how did you…" Neji cringed in pain, slowly reaching up to check his jaw.

"…Let me tell you something about fate, Neji." Naruto gripped the sleeve of his right arm. "That marking you saw earlier? It was a disease called Geostigma. In all of the shinobi nations, there's no cure, and it's guaranteed to be fatal to anyone who catches it. It drives the victim insane, causing hallucinations and such, until one is killed, or possibly turned into a monster." Naruto gave a tug on his sleeve, revealing his perfectly healthy, natural arm. Neji stared at it in understanding, before Naruto slid his sleeve back down.

"Stop talking as if everything's certain and that nothing can change! You really shouldn't be wining about such crap. But, if you want to forever wallow in your misery, go ahead. I'm through wasting my time on you. If you ever want to break free, change the Hyuga yourself!" Naruto finished, turning away from Neji.

Hayate smiled for a moment, before raising his arm. "The winner of the third match is, Uzumaki Naruto!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"_I'd won the match. My first major victory in the village. I'd just beaten the top rookie of the class above me. No one could call me weak anymore. No one…"_

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"No way…N-Naruto beat…" Gai stuttered. His entire team was beside themselves.

"…Is every rookie a freak?!" Michiko wined. "They're kicking our asses!" She pointed at Tenten. "You've gotta shine for us in the semi-finals, got it?!"

"Hey, why me?!"

"Cause you're the last non-rookie in the running!"

"At least I got that far!"

"Shut up!"

Yoko slapped them both over the head. "Ow!"

"What was that for?!"

"Just cheer." Yoko pointed behind them, where people were applauding the match, and complimenting the victor.

"That was awesome!"

"Unreal!"

"Way to go, kid!"

"What an amazing battle!"

"Wow, he's really good!"

"And I bet he's cute, too!"

**Break**

Back on the battlefield, Naruto began hearing the applause, and curiously looked up at the boxes, taking in the honors and praise. Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose, not entirely knowing what to do, but decided to go with instinct and threw his arms in the air, waving back at the crowd, and adding a few blown kisses here and there. Then, after a minute of waving, he walked off through the exit, heading up the stairway.

The medics came out and prepared to load Neji onto the stretcher, checking him over to make sure it was safe. Hayate walked up to him, staring up at the sky as he tossed him a soldier pill. "He didn't even let me give him one…he's got stamina like crazy!" Hayate coughed and chuckled at the same time, making a rather interesting combination. "You know, even a bird locked in a cage will still some day learn to open the lock with its beak, never giving up on its desire to fly free again." Neji stared as the medics lifted him. "Think on that." The medics rushed Neji off up the stairway to the hospital for treatment of his cracked jaw and broken rib."

'_Flying free… change the Hyuga yourself…maybe…they're onto something._' They laid Neji down on a spare bed and prepared to mend his bones with Chakra treatment. Before they started, Neji looked out the window. '_If I tried, would it really make a difference?_' Neji reached up with his right arm and brushed his seal. '_…I don't want anyone else to grow up in a cage…for the future, I'll try. I'll test your words, Uzumaki…_'

**Break**

"Naruto won…amazing!" Lee smiled. "Neji actually lost."

Cloud grunted. "Hn. Nothing unexpected here."

Sasuke stood up, and waved. "I'm going."

"Huh? Sasuke-kun?'' Sakura asked, but Sasuke just pointed at the arena.

Hayate coughed, and shouted up to the arena. "The fourth match of the Chunin exams is Uchiha Sasuke versus Gaara of the Desert. Would both combatants please enter the arena at this time!"

"I see. Good luck, Sasuke." Kakashi smiled happily.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted before walking off.

At the same time, Gai stood up. "Lee, Tenten, I shall go check on our youthful comrade! I shall return before the end of the match!"

"Yes, Sensei!" Lee shouted back enthusiastically. "Give Neji my regards!"

"Same here." Tenten added, though far calmer than her male comrades. Gai ran off through the back exit and headed for the recovery room.

Michiko sighed. "Geez, this is taking too long!"

"You can wait another five minutes."

"…I should've brought something to read…"

Kakashi pulled out his book and handed it to her. "Here, read this."

"Thanks!" Michiko chirped happily as she took the book.

"Uhh…Michiko…you may not want to…" Sakura suggested.

"Aw, whatever." Michiko opened the book to a random page, and read the first five lines. Then, she shrieked, throwing the book into the air in surprise and utter shock.

Kakashi reached up to the sky and caught it as he fell. "There. Now keep quiet." Kakashi started reading the same page Michiko was reading, and let out a perverted giggle.

"…The pain…" Michiko assumed the fetal position

Subject status: scarred for life.

**Break**

Naruto made his way up into the box with the remainder of the candidates, passing Gaara on his way up. They exchanged glances as well as they could with Naruto's eyes covered in shadow, and kept on walking. Naruto stepped through the entryway, and met a gaping Shikamaru.

"What. The. Hell."

Naruto chuckled lamely, scratching the back of his head. "Well, you see…it's really hard to explain. Go ask my friend later, he's better at explaining this stuff than me." Naruto pointed to the box where the other members of the W.R.O. were, and was surprised to see many of the Konoha shinobi surrounding Cloud. "Speaking of which, I think I'll head over, too. See ya, Shika!"

Naruto ran past the confused Shikamaru and made his way for the other staircase, running up as fast as he could. It was like the other one, a series of short perpendicular stairways heading straight up. Naruto ran up, and just when he reached the top, he spotted Uchiha Sasuke making his way to the arena.

Naruto smirked. "Hmph. Not bad, eh?"

Sasuke grunted. "Nothing particularly special."

"What?! You bastard! I just beat the upper class rookie of the year to a pulp!"

"From the battles we saw before, that isn't saying much."

"Oh yeah? We'll see who's superior after our match!" Naruto took a deep breath, and calmed himself. "Sasuke, I wanna fight you too. You'd better meet me in the Semi-finals, you got it? Failure is not an option!"

"…Yeah…"

Naruto and Sasuke resumed their pace, making sure to give each other a hard shoulder bump as they passed. So, Sasuke continued on to the arena, while Naruto kept walking towards the main box.

Naruto entered a hallway after exiting the stairs, and walked along until he was at the center box, and took a left. He found himself in the back row of the central box, and made his way down the row. He could hear a few people mention his name as he passed, recognizing him from the battle. He went to the front row, catching sight of Vincent at the end. Vincent seemed to sense him, and pointed to his right, where Cloud was entertaining the other Shinobi.

Naruto entered the row behind Vincent and the others, crossing until he was right beside kakashi, who was still giggling madly.

"Oi, Sensei, still reading that perverted book?"

Kakashi looked up. "Oh, yo, Naruto."

"Naruto!" Sakura and the others turned around, catching sight of him. "You've really gotten strong, haven't you?" Sakura congratulated him.

Naruto nodded proudly. "Thanks, Sakura-Chan!" Naruto looked over the others, his eyes landing on Michiko, who was still in the fetal position. "Hey, not even a hello?"

"She read your Sensei's book, Naruto-kun." Lee explained.

"Ah, not good. The same thing happened to me and Sakura when-"

"Sakura and _I!_" Tenten corrected, grinning smugly at Naruto. Naruto glared right back at her (not that she could see it), and sighed.

"Whatever." Naruto muttered as he took Sasuke's old seat, right between Cloud and Sakura.

"The match is going to start any second!" Sakura shouted excitedly. "Sasuke-kun is going to wipe the floor with that Gaara!"

Lee's expression went sullen, clearly not wanting to remember the past events. Naruto watched, and tried to examine the extent of Lee's injuries. Both limbs on his left side were bandaged, and he carried a crutch with him to help him walk. He was wearing blue robes instead of his usual green training suit. Naruto made a note to talk to Victor as soon as the exams were finished.

"Looks like it's about to start." Kakashi noted as Sasuke and Gaara made their way to the center.

**Break**

"At last, the fourth match of the Chunin exams, Uchiha Sasuke versus Gaara of the Desert, begin!" Hayate signaled.

Gaara immediately readied his sand, which Sasuke leapt back to avoid, having seen what it did to Lee first-hand after recovering. Suddenly, Gaara grabbed his skull; his head throbbing.

"Please…don't be so mad at me…mother!" Gaara said psychotically. "I haven't been feeding you lately. I'm sorry, but I'll give you a grand meal right now, and I'm sure it'll be really tasty!"

"What the…?" Sasuke asked himself as Gaara twitched once more.

Gaara took a deep breath, seeming to calm himself, and glared at Sasuke. "Come."

"…Fine, then. Here I come…!!" Sasuke took out three shuriken and threw them at Gaara a he charged forward, but Gaara made a Sand Clone to catch the shuriken, who then burst into a wave of sand, charging straight at him. Sasuke leapt high into the air to avoid it, throwing two kunai at the original. But Gaara's clone reformed and took the blow to the head. Sasuke took advantage of this and landed right in front of Gaara's clone, backhanding it in the neck. But the clone just smirked as it began to cover his hand in sand. Sasuke grimaced, and smashed his palm into the clone's head, scattering the sand. Sasuke rushed through to attack Gaara once more, but the sand armor rose to defend him. Gaara stared on, unimpressed, until he felt a sudden wave of wind in his face, and turned around just in time to watch Sasuke's fist make contact with his cheek.

'_Fast…wait, that's my…!!_' Lee thought as he watched Sasuke assume his Taijutsu stance.

"The sand armor again, eh?" Sasuke signaled for Gaara to strike. "Come."

Gaara remained kneeling, allowing his sand armor a chance to repair itself. Unfortunately for him, Sasuke wasn't about to give him that.

"If you're just going to stay there the whole match, I'll come to you!"

Sasuke ran once again, circling behind Gaara before he could even comprehend it. Gaara's sand circled behind him in an attempt to halt Sasuke's attack, but Sasuke jumped above the sand, quickly kicking Gaara in the chin, and followed through, pulling Gaara into the air, where Sasuke grabbed a hold of Gaara's sash, pulled him in and punched him once again, flipped himself over Gaara and turned him upside down, and pelican dropped him straight into the ground before Gaara's sand could regroup. Sasuke backflipped away a few meters as Gaara straightened himself out, his sand armor once again taking the majority of the blow as it compacted itself to form a shock of sorts.

"Is this it? Is this all you can do, Gaara?"

Gaara didn't react, and once again just sat still, allowing his armor to reform.

Sasuke was becoming annoyed with that pesky armor, and decided to get rid of it. '_I'll tear that right off of you!_'

Sasuke rushed at Gaara again, this time at such speeds that appeared a blur to normal vision, and circled around Gaara so fast that a dust circle formed in his footsteps. Gaara's sand circled in a halo around him, not knowing where to expect an attack. And then, in an instant, Sasuke dived underneath the halo and grabbed onto Gaara's shirt, pulling him into a knee, and finished with a hard punch to the face. Gaara flew back once again, landing roughly on the ground. Sasuke started panting, tiring out from the intense speeds he'd been maintaining.

**Break**

Gai returned from visiting Neji, but stopped as soon as he entered the arena, watching how Sasuke looked almost identical to Lee with his moves. He glanced over at Kakashi, and leapt over the other seats, landing in the one right next to Kakashi.

Kakashi glanced up at Gai's return. "Yo."

"…Just where did Sasuke gain that speed? It looks just like Lee's Taijutsu…"

"Well, technically it is. Sasuke observed Lee with his Sharingan on several occasions, so when we were training, I had him remember those moves, and use them as a basis for his own style."

"But…in just three months…"

"It was still incredibly difficult, don't get me wrong. Sasuke never took more than five seconds to fall asleep after a hard day's work."

"But…you know just as well as I do that if Lee couldn't beat Gaara, with all of his years of experience, then copied Taijutsu will be even less effective! Sasuke's already tiring out; there's no way he can win like this!"

"…I know, but just watch. He's still got a few tricks up his sleeve."

Meanwhile, Cloud, Arash and Naruto were having a conversation of their own.

"Woah! I didn't know the bastard could move so quick! He's faster than me!"

"Only without limit breaks." Arash noted. "If you go with that first, you'll be able to win without too much of a hassle."

"…Maybe, but I think I'll be using my sword this time for the defensive circle…"

Cloud reached down on the floor, where the Buster Sword and First Tsurugi lay on a cloth. He picked up Naruto's Buster Sword and handed it to him. "But please, don't kill him."

"I'd never do that! He's my ally!"

"Good. But keep an eye open for that Sharingan tool. We don't want any Kyusokai secrets leaking into the village just yet; not while things are so shaky between us." Cloud instructed.

Naruto nodded. "Understood."

**Break**

Gaara was back on his feet, forming a giant dome of sand around him. Sasuke charged straight into it, trying to land a hit before Gaara was completely sealed in, but Gaara managed to close the hole just in time, and Sasuke's fist landed on solid sand, with spikes shooting out. Sasuke managed to avoid anything serious, but decided it would be best to form another strategy. He leapt back, preparing another strategy.

'_No good, he's locked himself up tight. I can't break through with just my fists, and I don't think any fire jutsu will serve me well either. I never though sand could be such a pain…_'

Sasuke noticed how the third eye kept watching him, keeping Gaara fully aware. '_He wanted this to be a death match…so I guess I have no choice._' Sasuke unbuckled the first few straps on his left arm, preparing to leap back. '_I don't know what he's doing in there, but it's fine by me. This thing of mine is going to take some time…!_'

Sasuke ran back to the opposite end of the field, and once reaching the wall, flipped around and performed backwards handsprings until he was at the top. He ran through a few hand signs and placed his left hand on the arena wall while holding it still with his right.

**Break**

"Kakashi-Sensei…what is Sasuke-kun doing?"

"Sakura, you see the reason I took Sasuke with me to train alone is because…he's very…similar to me…"

Everyone in the arena went silent as Sasuke held what appeared to be pure lightning in his hand. He skimmed it across the roof, tearing apart the tile, and charged down to the ground.

"So that's why you had him work on his Taijustu so much…" Gai realized. Kakashi raised his head in satisfaction.

Sasuke hit the ground, sending smoke and dust in all directions, before he charged out straight at Gaara with the lightning tearing the ground apart.

"I…I can see the chakra! Is that even possible?!" Michiko gasped.

"This is unreal…" Hotaka muttered, completely drawn in.

"Whoa…" Naruto stared on.

"What is that move, and what is that noise?!" Sakura asked.

"It's just a palm thrust." Gai began to explain, before glaring to Kakashi. "However, it's an original move developed my Konoha's top Jutsu master, Kakashi. Technically, it's an assassination technique, with the secret lying in the speed of the thrust, and the immense Chakra produced by super-activating the flesh, creating a blade that can cut through just about anything. By narrowly focusing that Chakra in the dominant, hand, a pulsing fluctuation is formed, resembling the chirping of a thousand birds. Accordingly, the move is called…"

Sasuke charged straight into the sand spikes, using the Sharingan to see and dodge all incoming spikes, and thrust his arm into the sand, cutting through it like a hot knife and butter.

"…Chidori!"

Silence swept throughout the stadium as all onlookers stared at the battlefield, Sasuke's arm embedded in the sand. "Gotcha!"

Lee stared on jealously. '_Not long ago, I mentioned that your eyes meant nothing if you couldn't keep up with me. Back then, I was basking in the sense of superiority I felt; but now, you've attained a powerful body over the course of just three months, and you've got the Sharingan! It won't be possible to defeat you if you continue at this rate. I truly envy you, Sasuke…both you and Naruto-kun…_'

"That was amazing!" Sakura shouted.

"I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that!" Yoko applauded.

"Kakashi, your team is quite impressive." Ryuunosuke congratulated Kakashi; said man shrugged.

"So, what do you think of Sasuke now, Naruto-kun?" Michiko asked, leaning over on his chair.

"…I'm thinking we're gonna need a bigger stadium."

"Ha! Good one, Naruto." Hotaka complimented.

"…I was serious…"

Neither combatant had moved, with Sasuke's smirk still shining as brightly as it had when the sand had been cut. Then, out of nowhere…

"Ugh…HUAAAAGH!! BLOOD! I'M BLEEDING!!!" Gaara shouted from inside his shell.

Sasuke suddenly felt something clawing at his arm, and quickly tried to remove it. He tugged and tugged, but it wouldn't budge. Finally, he activated more lightning, running it through Gaara once more. He continued to try and pull back, but when he finally did, he dragged something else out, too. It was large, misshapen and ugly, only slightly resembling an arm with claws. Sasuke managed to shake it off, and watched it slither back inside the hole. But for him, with his Sharingan active, that wasn't all he saw.

Gaara's shell began to crack, and after a few seconds the dome sank to the ground, revealing an ordinary Gaara gasping the bleeding area just below his left shoulder. His eyes were wide with shock, as if refusing to believe this.

'_Those weren't the same eyes…those weren't the same eyes…_' Sasuke shuddered.

Just then, feathers began to fall from the sky, and the entire crowd suddenly felt their eyes feel heavy, falling asleep in moments.

"Kakashi…is this?"

"Yeah, Genjutsu!" Both formed the ram seal, and quickly cancelled the illusion. Sakura followed suit, as did Hotaka. Naruto, Cloud, and Arash all undid the illusion, but acted as though they didn't keeping their eyes hidden under the darkness of their cloaks.

**Break**

Over in the Hokage's box opposite the stands, the Hokage and Kazekage turned to each other, locking eyes just as the Kazekage raised his arm. "Well then, let's begin, shall we?"

The two Suna guards activated their smoke grenades, covering the box in smoke. They each took out a Kunai and stabbed Raido in the gut and shoulder, disabling him. The Kazekage grabbed the Hokage around the neck and jumped through the smoke, landing on top of the building just as his guards undid their combination transformation, meeting at the edges of the rooftop, forming a large purple barrier over a hundred feet high all across the roof.

**Break**

Kakashi turned around, watching as over thirty sound ninja burst through the door, along with one renegade ANBU, who appeared to have cast the Jutsu. One ANBU squad had already split up to defend the guests, one on each side box and two in the center, while another squad had left to help the Hokage. About a dozen other Jonin were still moving in the center box, and about a half dozen in each of the smaller side boxes. He looked down at Sakura and Hotaka. "You two, stay put. We'll handle this." Kakashi, Gai and Ryuunosuke leapt up into the air and landed on the stairwell to the right, while Asuma and Kurenai landed on the one to their right, along with Aoba and Genma.

Sakura felt some wind at her side, turning to meet Sasuke just after he landed. He was still using the Sharingan, checking to make sure the area was secure. "Sasuke-kun! What happened?!"

"Proctor told me to meet up with my team. He's fighting that Gaara's Sensei."

"…!" Sakura looked down at the arena with Sasuke, watching as Hayate used a katana against Baki's kunai. Gaara had already disappeared. "Where'd he…"

Sasuke pushed her down as two shuriken flew through the space her head had once occupied. Sasuke held her head down as two Ninja clashed above their heads. "Where's Kakashi?"

"He's already fighting the enemies over there." Sakura pointed at the top. "They're fighting the Sound Ninja."

"…!!"

A Sound Ninja appeared right in front of them. Sasuke pulled out a kunai and blocked the blow, and Sakura stood up with her own Kunai, trying to cut his arm. But the Sound ninja jumped to the side, throwing several shuriken at them. Sasuke jumped up to avoid them, while Sakura parried three of them aimed at her. Hotaka jumped in from the row behind, bringing out some seeds and threw them at the sound Ninja, but the Sound ninja used the substitution Jutsu. He appeared behind Sasuke, who whirled around and blocked his strike. He was about to prepare a Jutsu, but turned over his shoulder when he felt another presence, catching sight of another Sound Ninja raising his kunai for the kill. Sasuke was about to pull out a second kunai when he froze.

A giant sword ran right through the Sound Ninja. Blood flew out through the wound, a few drops landing on Sasuke's cheeks. The ninja looked down, staggered, and went limp, dying while still on the sword. Then, in one fast motion, the sword was withdrawn. The shinobi fell over, and Naruto stepped forward.

"Sasuke, move."

Sasuke stared at him, momentarily forgetting about the ninja in front of him. While parrying Sasuke's attack, he used his left hand to pull our a katana from behind his back and brought it down. Naruto leapt forward, shoved Sasuke to the side, and blocked the Katana with his vambrace. He tried to stab the Sound Ninja with his Buster Sword, but the enemy kicked the blade to the side. He tried to cut Naruto's neck with his kunai, but Naruto leaned back, and kneed him in the stomach, and when he leaned over in pain, Naruto elbowed him to the ground. Naruto raised his sword high into the air, and stabbed the man in the back.

Naruto looked up, and saw one more engaged with Hotaka. He picked up the dead ninja's katana with his left hand and used his buster sword in his right, leaping over into the next row. "Hotaka, duck!"

Hotaka looked over his shoulder, catching sight of Naruto running at him with two swords. He didn't show any sign of stopping. Hotaka's eyes widened, and jumped to the side down to the next row. Naruto slashed down with his giant blade, which the enemy easily side-stepped, but he swung the katana with his left hand, forcing the ninja to duck. He pulled out two kunai, and leapt inside Naruto's range. Naruto's left arm was across his body from the strike, so he quickly leapt forward and elbowed the ninja in the neck, knocking him back. Naruto swung both swords up, cutting off his arms, and in the air he reversed his grip, bringing them into an underhand position, and running them both through the man's chest.

Naruto pulled his swords out, of the man, letting his corpse drop. He looked over near the back, and saw another ninja preparing a fireball technique. Just as he was about to release it, Naruto threw the extra katana in his left hand at the shinobi, sending it right through the back of his mouth. He gagged, falling to the ground.

Naruto turned back to his group of friends, who were all frozen in shock. "Naruto…you-"

"Yeah…I've been busy…hehe." Naruto scratched the back of his head. Then, he looked over his shoulder, catching sight of another Sound Ninja. Naruto prepared to strike, but an arrow in the skull stopped that fast.

Arash was standing on the ledge, drawing another arrow. Naruto smirked, running over. "How many you got?"

Cloud jumped back from the box to the right. "We're keeping count?"

"Yeah! I've got four!" Naruto said proudly.

"Seven."

Naruto twitched. "Shut up!"

"I didn't bother. I'm going to win, anyways."

Naruto and Arash nodded, agreeing. "True…"

Cloud looked over at the other WRO members, of which only half were still awake, sitting back, knowing they weren't allowed to interfere. "I'll help get them back to HQ and figure out what's going on. Arash, scouting duties. Scan the village and give me a report of the number and types of enemies. Naruto, you remain under the command of Kakashi Hatake. It'll better our relations with them if we've got a member they know and trust, understood?" The two nodded. "Alright, dinner's on the loser. Go!" Cloud ran over to the WRO box, and Arash leapt away through the opening to the top of the wall, and leapt off for the gates. Naruto ran back to his friends.

Kakashi had returned with a conscious Shikamaru and Shino, and had already awoken the other Genin, including the whole of the rookie nine, the two senior teams, and a few other teams.

"Naruto, good. Everyone's present. I've got another mission for you all."

"Alright…"

"It'll be for all the finalists in the exams. You, Sasuke, Hotaka, Tenten, Shikamaru, and Shino will all pursue Gaara, who is believed to be accompanied by his siblings, I'm rather worried by what we saw during the exam. You're to pursue him and capture him, if possible. If not, he's to be eliminated, understood?"

"What? Right now?" Shikamaru complained.

"There's no time for delay! Do you understand?!"

The six of them nodded. "Good. The rest of you will be awakening the civilians and lead them to the underground shelters. You'll be leading them through the underground path to the shelter in the mountains under the protection of us senior ninja each. We'll gather up any remaining ninja first and wake them up, and they'll be assisting us, understood?"

"Maybe I should go to. I can track them down!" Kiba offered.

Asuma shook his head. "No. The finalists were all training in tactics to counter the other finalists. They've trained specifically for these opponents and have analyzed their strengths and weaknesses. It'll be best if they go alone. Shikamaru will build a battle strategy as you go. Sasuke will act as team leader, since he's already experienced combat with Gaara. They were last seen heading west. Go!"

Everyone nodded, and prepared. Naruto pulled a blue sword strap out of his cloak. He wrapped the strap around his torso from his right shoulder to the bottom-left of his waist. It had a part hanging down to the right to hold the point of the Buster sword, and a strap near his shoulders to strap the blade in. He put the point in the bottom part, and strapped the blade up for easy access.

At that moment, Kakashi pulled Sasuke to the side. "I know it was Naruto who killed those men. Impressive as it may be, I'm worried about him…see what you can find out." Sasuke nodded, and ran through the exit, with the rest of his team following. Kakashi stared on for a moment, before the next wave of Sound Shinobi arrived. The Jonin took the front while the lower ranks began breaking the Genjutsu, whether it be done through the release technique, or simply pinching their noses.

**Break**

"I never imagined that Suna would betray Konoha." The Hokage muttered as the Kazekage pressed a kunai to his throat.

"Treaties are nothing more than mist, with which we may lull our opponents into a false sense of security…from this day forth, history shall be made!"

The Hokage's eyes hardened. "There is still time to avoid this needless bloodshed. Kazekage-Dono, I plead you to lay down your arms!"

The Kazekage chuckled. "Kukuku…you're easily blinded by your old age…Sabutori-Sensei!"

The Hokage's eyes widened as the Kazekage reached for his face, and gripped it. "I see…so this was your plan from the very beginning…"

The Kazekage's face ripped clean off, behind which, Orochimaru's grin bubbled up from the Hokage's memory, matching the being before him. "I warned you many years ago that I would bring the house of Konoha down. By sunrise, Konoha will just be another page in history!"

Next time: Scattered Embers

**Notes**

Damn, this has got to be a record or something…I don't think I've ever updated this rapidly before (except for chapter 2, and that was almost straight from the manga). I pretty much wrote everything up to Naruto's fight on MLK Day, but I found Sasuke's fight really hard to write, because I was going back to just taking things from the Manga. It got really boring, so I cut it a little shorter than usual. Oh well, you all know how it went.

Did anyone notice the reference to Naruto Abridged? If you didn't, look at the part right after the Hotaka vs. Shino fight.

I'm taking a break for a few days. I need to get caught up in my work. I'll update New Reasons To Smile next, because it's the only chapter I've got planned.

Also, I made a mistake in the previous chapter. Arash joined two months prior to Naruto, so that's my bad. I've posted an updated version with the correct dates, and some spelling errors, but nothing else worth mentioning.

Once again, I'm thinking of starting up a side project. It'll be a parody/comedy, so expect that to come out soon. It's about Naruto, and a crossover later. You'll see why when I get the prologue up.

Here's the jutsu list:

Soshoryu-Twin Rising Dragons

Kagemane no Jutsu-Shadow Imitation Technique

Mokuton Jutsus-Wood Release Techniques

Juken-Gentle Fist

Hakkesho Kaiten-Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin

Tokubetsu Jonin-Special High Ninja

Hakke Rokujuyon Sho-Gentle Fist Style Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms

Chidori-One Thousand Birds

Alright, thanks everybody! If you liked it, please leave a review!

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


	13. Scattered Embers

The Paths We Walk

**The Paths We Walk**

Scattered Embers

"This is Summoning Squadron Beta; we're prepared to launch our assault on the East wall. Permission to proceed?" The sand commander requested over the radio. He, along with two Jonin guards, stood on the outskirts of a giant summoning circle with half a dozen men surrounding it, each molding chakra while holding a scroll in their mouths, preparing for the summoning Orochimaru had allowed them to use. The circle looked as if it was a pie cut into six pieces, with a smaller circle in the middle. Less than half a kilometer away was the great wall of Konoha. At the moment, everything was going according to plan.

After a few moments of silence, the commander tried to radio Summoning Squadron Alpha again. "I repeat, this is Summoning Squadron Beta, permission to begin assault?" Silence… "Commander, where are you?" The commander growled, wiping some sweat off of his head with his scarf.

Just then, a fuzzy sound came through the radio. "Commander…?"

And then, the radio connection came through crystal clear, and they heard battle. "R-report, the commander of alpha squadron is dead…there are eight ANBU on our position. We need assis-AAAUGH!" And with that, the connection was lost.

The commander stared at the radio, knowing there was no hope for alpha squadron. With them gone, he was in the lead. He took up the radio once more, and commanded "Attention, this is the Commander of Summoning Squadron Beta. I'll be taking charge of this operation. Summoning Squadron Charlie, begin the summoning on my mark. Thirty Seconds…"

The guards and summoners gulped. They had volunteered for this mission, but they had no idea what they'd been getting themselves into. They were behind enemy lines, and had to summon the serpents before the rest of the armies could enter the village through the breach. But still, the woods were crawling with ANBU. Damn that Orochimaru for putting the village on high alert! Now Alpha squadron had to pay the price!

"Fifteen seconds…" The sand commander observed the surrounding woods. No sign of anyone. Good. He had no intention of dying here.

"Ten…" He couldn't… "Nine…" He had family… "Eight…" He had a loving wife… "Seven…" They'd only been married for a year… "Six…" They were expecting next month… "Five…" It was going to be a boy… "Four…" He wanted to hold them… "Three…" He wanted to love them… "Two…" No…it would not end here! "One! Summon!!"

The summoners opened their eyes, staring at the circle with intent. Each released their hand signs and held their hands up to the sides of their scrolls. They removed them from their mouths, turned them, and raised them with their right hands in unison. One could feel the tension in the air as they paused, and in that one moment, time seemed to stand still. Then, the six slammed their scrolls into their spot on the circle, and the area was surrounded in a thick smoke.

The commander shielded his eyes. He couldn't see, but he could feel the earth quake under the great beast. When the smoke had cleared, a giant three-headed snake had already begun its path of destruction towards the village hidden in leaves.

The commander smiled. They had done it. They had finished their work. They were done. They could go home. But in that one moment, the commander forgot one of the most important rules of ninjutsu.

Never lower your guard.

He felt it in one fast motion; an incredible pain through his heart. He tilted his eyes down, staring at the piece of steel before it was swiftly removed from his body. By the time he began to fall to his knees, the ANBU squad had already begun to massacre the remaining troops.

Amid the howls and screams of his slaughtered troops as they were hunted down, one by one, the sand Commander, with the last of his strength, pulled out a picture from his vest pocket. He held that tiny picture in his hands as if it were the key to heaven. In the center was a beautiful woman, no older than twenty-five, with long blonde hair down her back. Her stomach was round; she was in the late stages of pregnancy. He stared for a moment longer, before turning it around. On the white back was a small message: '_Come home soon!_' and in the center, ruby red lipstick from where she had kissed it. He slowly brought it to his mouth, trying to imitate the same action she had performed for it less than a week ago, but his lips never touched the soft red color. His body went limp, and he fell forward. He took one last hollow breath, and released. It did not resume.

Yet, in his loose, dead hand, the picture remained, sitting ever faithfully. It would remain there for several hours, until a small gust of wind picked it up, and carried it away.

**Break**

Sasuke peered out from behind a building, checking to make sure it was clear to proceed. He took a quick peek, and determined that the area was still secure. He nodded to his team, and led them forward along the side of another house. So far, the enemy hadn't penetrated this far into their defenses. But still, he didn't want to take the chance of running into an enemy squad.

'_Then again…_' Sasuke pondered, looking over his shoulder as he sneaked to the next alleyway. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the still-cloaked Naruto. He'd already killed four, and that was in under a minute! Sasuke narrowed his eyes. That kind of growth wasn't natural. Something was up, and he aimed to find out.

Sasuke led them into an alley about fifty meters away from the great wall. He signaled for the rest of his team to follow, where they sat in a circle, preparing their strategy.

"All right, I doubt that the sand or sound will have any sophisticated field hospitals around, due to the ANBU black ops patrolling the area and the amount of time it would take to set up, so we can rule that out. They can't break into the hospitals, since they're still armed while being evacuated. Therefore, the only choice left open to them is to head north to where the nearest town is with a healer. They'll be traveling fast so as to reach it before news about the battle breaks out. We'll follow. Any questions?"

'_Wow, the bastard's actually showing some real leadership…_' Naruto thought as he observed Sasuke. "Are you sure there are no other possible routes?" What if the enemy has set up camps? Shouldn't we raid them?"

"Unwise and Unlikely" Shino muttered. "Why? Because it's just as Sasuke said: too much attention in the forest to actively set up a medical camp. There's over a ninety-nine percent chance our attempt to find one in a forest that large without a Hyuga would prove fruitless." Naruto suddenly felt some rather heated glares on him. "However, if by some miracle they did, it would be at our disadvantage to rush into one.

Hotaka nodded. "He's right. A camp, if they did manage to set one up, would be heavily guarded and impossible to raid without losses, and don't forget that we'd have to search for those same camps, which could be booby-trapped. So, Gaara and his siblings do by some miracle reach a camp, it would be wise to call the mission off."

Naruto raised his hand to his chin. "Oh…I see, so considering that, not only is this the likeliest option for the sand ninja, but also the safest for us."

Shikamaru sighed. "And it's still full of danger for us. How troublesome…"

"How so?" Tenten asked.

Shikamaru looked over at her with his lazy expression. "Think about it: right now, the enemy is spread throughout the forest. If they ran into our target, it's likely that they'd help them, considering their alliance. However, if they even catch sight of us, six ordinary Leaf Genin, we're as good as dead. So, outside these walls, they still have the advantage. Along with that, don't forget that we're the ones that have to track them down. This whole situation is troublesome…"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. '_He should've just sent me alone. I can handle Gaara; I don't need any support._' "Quiet, all of you. This is the best course of action available at the moment, so no arguing. Now then, we should go." Sasuke stood up and walked to the end of the alley, not waiting for them to follow.

Just then, they felt a rumble in the earth. Every one of them struggled to maintain their balance. At first they thought it was an earthquake, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"What was that?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know…" Hotaka pondered.

"…Alright, we can't afford to lose anymore time. Let's move out!"

The team followed Sasuke as he charged through the streets. It was a short run, considering how close they were. Once they reached the great wall, they ran up the side together until all had reached the top. And then…

"Holy…" Sasuke started.

"…Shit." Naruto finished.

Before them stood a giant thirty-story snake, towering over the wall. It had its body raised high, and just as they were wondering what it was doing…

"Evade!!' Sasuke ordered. He, Hotaka and Shikamaru evaded to the right while Naruto, Tenten and Shino evaded to the left. They managed to get out of range just as the snake slammed its body down upon the wall, creating a giant breach.

Naruto shakily stood up on the left side, and checked to make sure that Shino and Tenten were fine. Neither seemed to have taken serious damage, so he assumed they were alright. Naruto stood up, and on instinct put his right hand on the end of his sword and tilted it, while tilting his neck the other way, allowing the incoming blade to land right in the crook of where the handle met the guard.

Naruto reached up for the katana end jutting out in front of him and grabbed the dull side, got a firm grip, and yanked it out of the enemy's hands. He brought it in front of him, and quickly released his grip on his sword and grabbed the hilt of the katana with his right hand, before lowering it to his left side and running it along his side and through the unfortunate sound ninja. As soon as the hilt touched the enemy's clothes, he pulled it out and stepped forward with his left leg to spin around, decapitating the shinobi and ending his misery.

Naruto ran over to the edge of the wall and watched as two more tried to run up the side, on behind the other. He took the katana in his left hand and took out his buster sword with his right. Just as one was about to reach the top, Naruto reversed his grip on the katana and dived off the wall, and brought it back into the sound ninja's head as he fell. The blade went through his skull and out the other end, where it embedded itself in the hard wall. He kept his grip on the katana and swung around it, slashing the other ninja in half as he reached the low point and swung off the katana, letting go as he began to sail straight up. He flipped over the top of the wall. He looked back and watched the two halves of the ninja fall as the other's body dangled uselessly as it hung by the sword. Naruto swung his buster sword over his head, before strapping to his back once more. He turned around and noticed the 'What the fuck?!' look Tenten was giving him. Shino just stood there, before nodding to him and leaping over to the next side.

Naruto walked over to Tenten and shrugged. "It's war. Shit happens." He held out his hand to her, which she stared at for a moment, debating on whether or not to accept. Finally, she picked up a shaking hand and grasped his, before Naruto pulled her up to her feet. He nodded, and leapt over to where the others were, with Tenten soon to follow.

As Naruto and Tenten landed, they saw that the other half of their team had been having some unwelcome guests as well. Fortunately, a shadow bind here, a wood cocoon there, and problem solved.

Sasuke looked over at his other three subordinates, and noticed the fresh blood on Naruto's sword. He narrowed his eyes, scowling, but said nothing to him. "Enough. There'll be more here soon. We've got to move now!" He commanded. The others nodded, and followed him as he leapt over the side and into the forest.

**Break**

The three men could only watch helplessly as the eastern wall was crushed beneath the body of a giant snake. The snake was a deep tan in color, with tomoe marks running down its hard scaly body. Slowly, its bodies rose, staring hungrily at the village of leaves. Was it pondering over how to crush the buildings to pieces, or starting up a competition to see who could eat the most people? Well, the three men never found out, as they acted on instinct to defend their home and everything in it, each throwing several kunai with explosive tags attached to the ends. They impacted on the snake's cheek and detonated, but the snake didn't even flinch.

The snake slowly turned to the three, locking on to the man with a ponytail and a shinobi mask on. "You shall not enter this village!!" He roared leaping up into the air and unleashing a barrage of kunai with explosive notes at the end, but to no avail. The snake rushed at him, shaking off the annoying explosives, unhinged its jaw, and the man became apart of the food cycle.

The other two leapt down off the wall, recognizing the lost cause. The man with a headbandana around his head looked over at his comrade. "Report to Hokage-Sama immediately! Inform him of the situation and request reinforcements!" The other man nodded and leapt away, but was stopped before he moved twenty feet by three kunai digging deep into his back. He fell limply into the trees below, leaving his comrade on his own.

The man watched as his friend fell, and turned back to the wall. Five Sand shinobi stood, smirking at him. One was twirling a kunai menacingly. The leaf ninja looked to his left and watched the snake continue its rampage, and looked back to the sand ninja, who were no longer alone. Dozens of Sand and Sound ninja began pouring through the gap and over the walls. The man scowled and took out a kunai, leaping into the air. He had to raise the alarm, before it was too late!

**Break**

Orochimaru held the Hokage with a firm grip around his neck with his right arm, and in his left he held the kunai to his throat. The Hokage looked up, and saw he was beginning to tear up.

"Has the joy brought to you with the sight of our village in turmoil brought you tears of happiness…or could it me…" Orochimaru shot him a sharp gaze, and slowly inched the kunai closer to his throat. However, just before cut his throat, he raised his right hand, and plunged the knife into his own palm, letting the blood flow freely onto the Hokage's robe. "…could it be that the guilt of your betrayal has finally consumed you…?"

Orochimaru yawned and rubbed his eyes with his left hand, making no motion to remove the kunai. "Nah, just a bit sleepy. These Kage robes act as a decent sauna on a hot day. Just needed a little jolt to liven up."

The Hokage smirked. "Just as I suspected." Orochimaru released the third and began to walk away, moving as if the kunai in his right palm didn't even exist. "You were never one to be moved by such emotions…you have no motives or ambition."

"Hmm…well, that's not entirely true. I do have an ambition, and this village is merely the opening move in my scenario." He continued to walk away from the Hokage, and held his injured hand in front of his face. I enjoy watching objects in motion. I find it boring whenever they stand still, don't you agree?" He turned around, and smirked at Sarutobi. "Watching a picture, no matter how beautiful, becomes meaningless after enough sand falls to the bottom of the hourglass. So now, I will replace that dull picture with my own, and it shall begin with the destruction of this village!"

The Hokage smirked. "You're the same as I remember, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru threw off his Kazekage hat and removed the kunai, and threw it into the air. At that signal, four sound ninja leapt up from below the rooftop and took positions around the two legends, and formed a rectangular purple barrier around them, before casting another barrier around themselves. Orochimaru smirked venomously to the Third Hokage. "Now, then, let the wheels spin!"

**Break**

Arash leapt over the buildings, keeping steady watch for anyone who he could consider an enemy. He made sure to avoid even Konoha shinobi, as they would probably consider him an enemy due to his lack of a headband.

Arash crept through the streets, and caught sight of two sand ninja. Thinking quickly, he bashed through a window to his left and rolled inside, quickly scouting out areas for cover, knowing they'd be after him soon. He had landed in a bedroom, with a bed in the middle of the room, a closet to the left, a nightstand on each side, a full-length mirror, and a dresser. Thinking quickly, he smirked.

The two Sand shinobi leapt through the open window and checked their surroundings, noticing that the bedroom door was kicked out. Smirking, they ran through the opening, each taking one side of the hallway. Then, looking to the left, they saw the image of a small boy in a black cloak with a bow. On reflex, both threw a shuriken at the figure, but when they reached their targets, they saw the mirror crack, shattering the image.

The two shinobi paused, before turning around and seeing the unwarped image of Arash, who released his powerful bow, and ending the two men's lives.

Arash smirked. He'd immediately busted the door down to lure them out there, and then hidden in the closet, waiting for them to pass. When they were in the hall, he'd snuck up behind them when they were looking at the other end of the hallway, and they'd seen his mirror image in the mirror he'd placed there earlier, and focused on that for an instant, but that was all he'd needed to end it. In all the confusion, they didn't stand a chance against one of the Kyusokai.

Arash looked up from the bodies and ran to the end of the hallway, where he took a right and ran out the door and leapt to the rooftop, where placed his bow on his back and drew up the sleeve on his left arm, revealing a seal composed of various lines and symbols, all circling around a great eye. It ran all along the top of his forearm. He gathered mana in his body, and the seal began to glow a violet color. "I call upon you, Aves!"

The light shining from his seal began to float up from his arm and began to whirl around in the air, and then, it seemed to crystallize and solidify, and slowly, the colors began to darken, and Arash felt the mana solidify and drop on his arm. And then, the young hawk looked at its summoner with its piercing gaze.

"Arash…why have you summoned me in this…" Aves looked around, noticing the smoke rising from various areas, and out of the corner of its eye locked onto a giant three-headed snake. "…dreadful environment?"

"I need you to scout out the area. Find out how many troops of whatever class there are on the battlefield, and report back to me. Also, if they're wearing a forehead protector, they're ninja. Look for ones in tan vests and grey jumpsuits. Got that?"

Aves sighed. "Why not just use your own eyes?"

Arash narrowed his eyes. "If I got caught using those eyes by the Konoha shinobi…well, it wouldn't be for the best. Just obey my order." The hawk nodded, and Arash raised his arm higher, allowing the bird to take off. He watched it soar high into the sky, before taking off in direction of the gate.

Arash scanned the area above the roof, and spotted a squad of sound shinobi. He drew his bow and knocked an arrow, and drew back, locking onto the leader. He followed the leader for a moment, taking careful aim for the neck, and with accuracy that could only be obtained through years of back-breaking practice, he fired, sending the small arrow straight through the man's spinal chord in the neck.

Unfortunately, the other three weren't too pleased with Arash's little sneak attack, and quickly rushed over to him. However, Arash had already loaded another arrow in and fired, but these shinobi weren't amateurs, and managed to weave out of the way. Arash scowled, planning his next course of action. He could draw his sword and shield, but that would be a real pain to get from beneath his cloak. So, he chose to reload and draw his bowstring back once more. However, by now the shinobi were practically on top of him.

The first one came in fast, pulling out a kunai while knocking the bow out of the way with his leg, but Arash was too fast, and spun around with his bow and twisted it to its side. Once he'd completely turned around, he shoved the butt of his bow behind him and into the shinobi's throat, causing him to stagger back, while Arash turned slightly to his right, all while keeping the bow loaded, and shot as soon as he lined up the bow with its target. The arrow sailed in and out of the enemy's liver, and he fell, awaiting death.

The attack had been so fast that the other two had just started attacking. One leapt towards him with two kunai, but Arash leapt backwards, loading another arrow, and fired. However, the sound ninja raised his two kunai, parrying the arrow. Arash growled, almost unable to believe he'd been able to do that. '_Sound village has only been around for a few years…at least if the reports by those geographers are correct, so they could only have had two…possibly three years of training, so how could they be this strong already?!'_

Arash knocked a kunai strike away with his bow, but quickly saw out of the corner of his eyes that the other ninja was inhaling, about to unleash a fireball technique. Quickly thinking, he kicked the other ninja away and, almost in a flash, appeared on the left of the enemy shinobi, with his right arm fully extended holding his bow behind the enemy's head, and his left arm holding the string on the other side in front of the enemy's neck, and released. The four hundred pounds of force in that little string sliced right through the sound ninja's neck, decapitating him. But it did not end there.

He had been inhaling to unleash his fireball jutsu, and when his head came off, the flames burst through the hole in his neck, firing up. Arash kicked his body over, right in the direction of the other charging enemy, who had no time to move, and burned him to a crisp.

Arash drew another arrow, keeping himself on guard, awaiting any more foolish enemies, but none came. '_It's still too early in the battle for many to have reached this far in._' He looked back at the bodies. '_They were probably scouts…_'

Arash kept on guard for another few minutes, before he heard a familiar cawing above him. He held out his left arm and allowed Aves to rest on his arm once more. "Any news?"

"Of course. Five hundred of those shinobi you mentioned, and a few thousand samurai thugs. There're also two giant three-headed snakes bursting through the northern and eastern gates, moving fast and destroying everything. Not that there's much to destroy in such an…uncivilized setting."

Arash nodded. "Good job. You're dismissed." The hawk nodded, and burst into a shower of lavender mana, before merging back into the seal.

Arash reached into his cloak and pulled out a thin deep blue cell phone. He pushed the button leading him to speed dial, and called Cloud. He let it ring for a moment, knowing Cloud probably had it on vibrate due to the current situation, before he heard a click. "Hello?"

"Cloud, it's me."

"Good to know you're alive. You're ready to report?"

Arash sighed. "About five hundred enemy shinobi, along with several thousand samurai thugs, and two three-headed snakes have entered the village. I just ran into a few more scouts. The main assault will come soon."

"…Very well. I'm almost back to base with the others. Meet me there and we'll discuss our plan."

"Understood…and on a side note, if Naruto calls, tell him I'm at thirteen."

"Hmm…you've still got a ways to go to beat me."

"…Humph." Arash hung up, and leapt back through the buildings at top speed back to base.

**Break**

Sasuke led the group through the forest at such a pace leaving it hard for the others to keep up. He was intent on finishing his match with Gaara, and that others would be accompanying him wasn't a pleasant thought for him. '_Damnit! This was supposed to be my test, my fight! Why can't Kakashi just leave this to me?_'

Suddenly, they heard an explosion far behind them. Tenten and Shikamaru grimaced. "They're coming." He muttered.

"Damnit, keep moving!" Tenten shouted.

"What happened?" Hotaka asked.

"Shikamaru suggested I set up a trap just in case we were being tracked." Tenten explained

"Looks like I was right. Oh man, what a pain." Shikamaru wined.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "And why wasn't I informed?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Because you were caught up in your own little world, Mr. Fearless Leader." Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"So what now?" Naruto asked.

"How many do you think there are?" Hotaka wondered.

"Four, possibly eight, if there are two squads. It's quite possible, as they'd want the advantage over any singe squad in the area. We can't let our guard down." Shikamaru muttered.

Sasuke scowled. They couldn't afford these constant delays! "Fine. You five stay behind and deal with this, and I'll handle Gaara."

Naruto scowled. "Stop acting so selfish, you bastard! You'd abandon us just so you could have your petty little grudge match? This is war! We can't act on selfish impulses like that!"

"Naruto's right." Hotaka started. "It would be unwise to split up. We should try to ambush them. With our skill, it shouldn't be much of a problem."

Shikamaru sighed. "Under normal circumstances, that would be the recommended course of action, but it's different outside the academy! We can't just ambush on impulse, especially now! Chances are we'd get ourselves killed!"

"Why is that?" Shino asked. Everyone turned to him; some had even forgotten he was there.

"Listen up!" Shikamaru said, gaining their attention as they leapt through the trees. "Even if they tell you an ambush I always the best tactic when outnumbered and being tailed in school, that isn't the case. Out here, we have to think on our feet, and an ambush would get us killed. First off, in order to successfully ambush someone, we'd need to be able to complete several conditions. First, we'd need to be able to successfully locate the enemy. Second, we'd need to be able to lure them into an area where we could conceal ourselves and inflict the most possible damage."

"The first step is possible, but carries heavy risks. If we had Kiba and Akamaru, it wouldn't be a problem to locate them. However, since we don't have their noses, Shino is the only one of us who can locate someone using his bugs. However, he'd have to place them in several locations to make sure that one was picked up, and even then, there's almost no chance of a bug latching onto one of our pursuers at the speeds they're moving. So, the first step is nearly impossible."

"And even then, if we could complete the first step, as well as we may know our village, these guys are minions of Orochimaru, a former member of our village. He would have explained to them the exact terrain, and these people were also assigned to this specific area, so they probably know it better than we do!"

"As great as an ambush could be, there are just too many risks! Let's not forget our current objective! We've got to keep our sights on Gaara, no matter what gets in our way. We need to take into account our current strength, and their as well. We just don't have the strength to stop them. So, whatever we come up with will result in our group splitting up, with some dealing with the pursuers while the others continue on to Gaara."

"However, whoever we send to delay our pursuers will unlikely be able to defeat them…and will probably…die."

Silence swept over the six members of their squad. Finally, Shikamaru spoke up once more. "Sasuke has had previous experience fighting Gaara, so he needs to stay in charge of this mission…" Shikamaru looked over the other four members. "…only one needs to stay behind…so, any volunteers?"

Naruto lowered his head. Eight Chunin-level enemies? Maybe he could take them…maybe he couldn't. It was an awful risk, and he didn't want to take it, but… '_I've got the best chance for survival. It's got to be me…!!_' "Alright, I'll-"

"It's going to be me, how troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed. Everyone looked at him in shock as he swung around on a branch, landing with his back facing them, looking over his shoulder. "I've got the best chance of surviving this. The Shadow Bind is technically a detainment technique, anyways." He turned around, unable to look at them anymore. "I'll catch up later, now go!"

"Shikamaru-kun…" Tenten muttered.

"Are you sure?" Hotaka asked.

Shikamaru nodded. "Now go!"

The others looked at him one last time, before resuming their journey to Gaara.

"Will he be alright?" Tenten asked worryingly.

"Perhaps…" Shino commented.

"…But he was right. We have to keep our sight on the main objective." Sasuke said firmly.

'_Shikamaru…_' Naruto thought. '_That lazy bastard's braver than I thought…but he'll die like this!_' Naruto growled. "Sasuke! Are we really just going to leave him?" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder. "What other choice do we have? This is war. We don't have a choice."

"So we're just going to let him die?"

"Do you have another plan?" Shino asked.

Naruto smirked. "Thought you'd never ask." He stopped on another branch, with all eyes on him, and pulled out his sword. "I'll finish them off."

He was met with silence. "What? You've all seen what I can do. If Shikamaru had known, he'd have sent me to handle it in the first place."

Hotaka narrowed his eyes. "This isn't like before. We don't know how many there are. We'd just be sacrificing you, too."

Naruto smirked beneath his cloak. "No…all the conditions are met."

"…What?" Tenten asked.

"…I see…" Shino muttered.

"What? What do you see?" Hotaka asked.

"You plan to ambush them?" Shino questioned.

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah." He turned around. "Well, time to get to work. We'll catch up with you guys later!"

Sasuke smirked. "Playing the hero, dobe?"

"Who's playing, bastard?" Naruto smirked right back. "I'll be done in five minutes, then I'll come help out with Gaara."

"…Hmph. Five minutes and we'll be heading home, idiot." Sasuke turned around, waving over his shoulder. "Fine. Go. Help Shikamaru. That's an order."

"Roger!" And with that, Naruto leapt through the trees.

Hotaka smirked. "Those two…are complete morons."

"They've got guts, I'll give them that." Tenten smirked.

"Might I remind you that we still have our own problems?" Shino muttered.

"Yeah…let's hurry!" Sasuke ordered, leaping through the trees once more.

**Break**

"Cell A, above! Cell B, assist in the evacuation of the stadium!" the ANBU captain called as he and three other men made their way to assist the Hokage. However, once they reached the opposite end of the stadium, they came to a stop in front of the wooden barrier. The captain threw a kunai at it, but watched in shock as it melted before his eyes. He looked at his companions, and signaled for them to wait. It was much too dangerous for them to attempt to dispel. All they could do was watch as their beloved Hokage prepared for battle.

The Hokage threw off his robes, revealing a black shinobi outfit with leaf green helmet, shoulder pads and forearm protectors, and taking a low battle stance, with his right arm over his extended left, and crouched low, making him look even smaller.

Orochimaru chuckled. "Hoho, it seemed you came prepared to die today, Sarutobi-Sensei…" Orochimaru threw off the robe, to reveal that he was wearing a tan tunic over a black shinobi outfit with a purple rope belt tied behind him. He was still wearing that insidious grin on his face, overjoyed at the chance to finally destroy his former master. "Well then, let's get right to it!"

The Third Hokage made the first move, flipping through handseals "Kawara Shuriken!" The tiles on top of the stadium floated into the air, and flew at Orochimaru while gaining speed, rotating like pinwheels. Orochimaru quickly sank into the ground, avoiding the tiles, and quickly rammed through the tiles in front of the third, unleashing his tongue and wrapping it around the third's neck, swinging him high into the air, and sending him crashing down into the tiles ten meters away, but suddenly, the fleshy taste sent to Orochimaru from his tongue was replaced with mud. Orochimaru looked up, and saw the Hokage launch a giant fireball at him. Orochimaru dug his tongue into the ground where he had sent the clone and retracted it, managing to avoid the fireball.

The Hokage landed and threw a shuriken, before crossing his fingers. "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The shuriken began to duplicate, and soon an armada of shuriken flew at Orochimaru, but Orochimaru didn't even flinch.

He held his hands together and raised his head. "Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei!" Immediately, the ground in front of him shined in purple light, and out of the ground rose a wooden coffin. "First!"

The Hokage gasped. "What is he?…"

"Second!" Another coffin rose.

'_Could he be…oh no!_'

"Third!" The third coffin rose, and the ground returned to its normal color.

'_No…no, it can't be! How could he have summoned those three, of all people?!_'

The coffins first took the blow of the shurikens for Orochimaru, and then, the first coffin opened, revealing a man with long black hair, black clothing and old, red armor with vambraces, along with a Konoha headband around his forehead. Immediately after, the second coffin opened, and revealed a man in similar blue armor and clothing, but with short white hair and white fur surrounding his collar. His forehead protector also had cheek guards, and he had one red triangular mark on his face on each cheek and his chin. Both were incredibly decayed.

The two stepped out and around the third, looking up at the current Hokage. "Sarutobi…it's been so long…" The man in red said.

"Yes…it's good to see you again, my student. I truly wish it could have been under different circumstances." The other said.

They both looked back at Orochimaru, who was smirking at them. "Well, it seems he's the one who summoned us…"

"Yes, which means, Sarutobi, we must fight you."

The third stared at the third coffin, but saw no movement. For the moment, he kept his gaze on the other two. "Very well…prepare yourselves…First Hokage, Second Hokage!"

Orochimaru smirked. "Ohh…quite a touching reunion…but, where is our fourth little friend?"

The First Hokage, the one in red, shook his head. "He is not in there."

Orochimaru grinned. "Oh? Whatever do you mean?"

The Second Hokage raised his hand to the coffin, and pulled open the door. However, instead of the fourth Hokage, a giant mound of ash and dirt descended, along with the deceased Jonin Sensei of Kabuto's team.

"So…the resurrection failed…" The Third concluded.

The Second shook his head. "No…it did not fail…it never occurred. The fourth cannot be revived."

"And why is that, Hokage-Sama?" Orochimaru questioned, grinning wildly.

The First answered "Because…the Fourth is not yet deceased."

**Break**

Eight Sound ninja ran through the forest, tracking their prey. As they leapt through the trees, they'd occasionally spot a broken branch or a fresh footprint, indicating that they were traveling in the right direction. After a long search, they spotted footprints traveling in another direction. They dropped down to investigate, and froze. They couldn't move. Being just able to tilt their eyes down, they saw all of their shadows attached to one stretching over behind a tree. Then, they all walked to the left, just as Shikamaru walked out from behind a tree.

"Jeez, that was easy. Are you really shinobi elite?" Shikamaru asked, looking around. "So…there're eight of you, huh?"

The one in front grimaced. "So…this is Konoha's famous Shadow Bind Technique…"

Shikamaru smirked. "Man, you guys are really obsolete. It's called the Shadow Imitation Technique now, pal." Sweat began to run down his forehead. '_Darn it, even with that pill, I'm still physically exhausted from my fight with Tenten. I won't last for more than five minutes…_'

Suddenly, one of the ninja gasped. "W-wait! If you kill him, you'll kill us, too! Anything that happens to him happens to us! Don't kill him yet!"

Shikamaru's eyes shot up. '_Okay, so there must be one more if he's speaking like that. Now, just gotta find him…_' Shikamaru pulled out some shuriken from his pouch. The sound ninja could not, seeing as their pouches were located on the bottom of their wrists. So, Shikamaru wound up, and unleashed his shuriken. The sound ninja stood stone still, unable to believe he'd unleash an attack that would kill himself. However, just before they reached their targets, eight shuriken intercepted his own, blocking his attack.

Shikamaru looked up into the tree to his right, where the shuriken had been thrown. '_So, he's up there, eh?_' Shikamaru sighed. '_I don't have enough shadow to reach him…it's over._'

Shikamaru looked up into the sky as sweat began to pour down his face. '_All I ever wanted was to be the average ninja, who never did anything particularly amazing, made an average living, maybe marry a girl who was neither pretty or ugly, and have two kids…a girl and then a boy…retire when my daughter got married and my son became a ninja, and spend the rest of my days playing shogi…yeah, a nice, normal, peaceful retirement, dying of old age before my wife. Yeah, that was the life I've wanted…_' Shikamaru smirked, looking back at the enemies. '_But now…I've gotten involved in such a troublesome affair…what a pain…_'

Shikamaru sighed, releasing his shadow. "So this is it…"

The leader smirked. "Heh…about time you came down here…and cut this kid to pieces!"

Shikamaru tensed as he felt someone fall behind him, slowly, he looked over his shoulder, and then fully turned around, meeting with a large enemy sound ninja. The ninja smirked, and raised a kunai for the kill.

But as a certain blonde ninja once said, a hero always arrives in the nick of time!

Just as the ninja was about to strike, a large black cloth was wrapped over the ninja's face and torso. A figure flipped over the ninja, carrying the trapped ninja with him, and landed kneeling down, slamming him down in front of the other sound shinobi. Shikamaru looked at the cloak, and even though it was wrapped up, he saw a piece of the silver wolf. But that meant…

Naruto stood, releasing his grip on his cloak. He was no longer wearing that bright orange jumpsuit. Instead, he wore loose dark pants the same dark blue color as that of a normal SOLDIER uniform, with black combat boots, and a tank top the same color as the pants under an unzipped blood red jacket running just below his hips with the collar up that seemed to have had the material below the elbow on the right arm torn off, while the left arm had a full sleeve running down to his wrist. He also had his left hand gloved in a dark blue leather glove. At the point where the pants met the blue undershirt, there was a large brown SOLDIER belt with straps that went over his shoulders under his jacket. On the shoulders of his jacket, there was one shining steel pauldron wrapping perfectly around each shoulder, unlike normal SOLDIER pauldrons. Naruto also still wore his healing vambraces, of which only the right was visible due to the removed material. On the back of his blood red jacket, he wore the same silver wolf that was on his cloak. There was also a slit on the right side of the back of his jacket, running just about halfway down from the collar to well below the shoulder. He still wore the dark blue sword strap behind his back, and interestingly, he wore an eyepatch over his left eye, but it wasn't an ordinary eyepatch. There were three odd cylinders in a triangle in the center, like lenses of a camera. He was taller, possibly as tall as Sasuke, and he had grown his hair our a little, but instead of a full blonde head of hair, his bangs were jet black. His hair was still fairly spiky, but it didn't go straight up like it normally would…and then he noticed it: Naruto wasn't wearing his headband.

The eight ninja looked at him as the other struggled to break free of the cloak. "Heh…you got guts kid…" He raised his kunai, staring at him menacingly. "But that isn't enough!"

Naruto smirked, reaching back and drawing his sword, and swinging it to the side. He looked right at them, and charged. "Come and get it!"

The first shinobi had no time to act as Naruto leapt into the air and landed on his chest, pushing him to the ground. Naruto swung his sword in an arc down, cutting him in half, and cutting through the very ground, forcing the sword through the earth and into the man next to them from below. While the sword was inside the man, he twisted it to the side and swung it out, and continued for a full half-circle into the stunned man behind him.

By now, the other shinobi had begun to catch on, and all pulled out their kunai. Naruto continued his swing, cutting the man in two, before tilting it into the earth. While keeping one hand on the sword, he kicked at a man who appeared in front of him and pushed off him, flipping over the sword while gripping it with both hands, and bringing it with him as he landed, slicing another in half with a perfect strike from head to toe.

Naruto leaned forward to dodge a barrage of kunai aimed at his head, and backflipped into the air, gaining a view of the battlefield. Four were still alive, five if you counted the man struggling in his cloak. It was risky, since he'd lost the initial surprise, but he should be able to handle it. Naruto landed in the center of the four, who rushed at him at once, each trying to stab him with a kunai. Naruto planted his sword in the ground and jumped, grabbing the hands of the two in front of him, while swinging his legs high, and bringing them down to kick down the hands of the ones behind him, and then using the momentum of the kick to plant his feet on the ground and push, forcing the two shinobi's hands with them, and forcing them to stab their own comrades in the hearts.

But now, Naruto was at a disadvantage, as he was hanging off the arms of two enemies, who also happened to be directly above him, and he wasn't in the proper position to alter their movements any longer. The two removed the kunai from their fallen comrades and brought them down underhanded, but Naruto brought his legs up and buried them in their stomachs. He landed on his back and kicked them over, sending them tumbling over in front of him. Next, he leapt up and lunged at the first one to stand, giving him a hook to the cheek, grabbing his wrist, and began swinging him around. He went around three times before he let him go, straight into the blade of his sword. The result was…well, it got the job done, to say the least.

The last enemy stood once more, and stared at his fallen comrades. He began to shiver. He was going to die…he was going to-

Naruto slammed him into the ground and kicked him over to his sword, still embedded in the ground, with such force that one whole met the blade two halves left it. Naruto scoffed. He didn't have time to let the attackers have any final thoughts.

Naruto grabbed his sword and walked back to a stunned Shikamaru, passing the last one who was still struggling beneath his cloak. He raised his sword in passing, and brought it down underhanded, stabbing through the cloth almost casually. Immediately, the cloth stopped moving, and went silent.

Naruto strapped his sword to his back by the time he made his way to Shikamaru. "Hey, you alright?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru pointed to the enemies. "…D-did I miss something?"

Naruto chuckled. "You never took that into account. Out of our entire squad, you were the only one who'd never seen me in a real brawl. I would have gone in your place to start with…but you just seemed so intent on playing the hero." Naruto smirked pleasantly.

Shikamaru sighed. "You're a real freak, ya know that?

"Yup, and proud of it!"

Shikamaru smirked, and tried to stand up, but fell back down before he could even get on his knees. "Aw man, what a drag. I'm exhausted; completely out of Chakra."

"You can't move?"

"Nope. How troublesome."

Naruto scowled. He still had to go help fight Gaara. Thinking fast, he looked back at Shikamaru. "Stay here, alright? I'll be right back."

Shikamaru waved. "I'm not going anywhere."

Naruto nodded and walked back into the woods a little ways. Once he was far enough, he pulled out a cell phone. It was a blood red color with blue lighting for the keys. He quickly called Cloud. It rang a few times before he picked up. "Hello?"

"Cloud, it's me."

"Naruto? What is it?"

"I've got a favor to ask you…or rather, the Turks."

"The Turks…I'll have to talk to Rufus, but I'm sure I can get them to help out. What is it?"

"I've got a friend out here who's out of Mana. I was wondering if they could rush him an ether and give him safe passage back to the shelters."

"Couldn't you just give him some of your ether?"

"I plan to, but he's completely empty, and I want to save some for the fight with Gaara."

"…Alright, I'll see what I can do."

"They'll have to come on foot. We can't have them use the chopper in this kind of environment."

"That's needless to say, but I'm sure the Turks won't find it very appealing, nonetheless…very well, I'll contact Rufus."

"Thanks."

"…Oh, and one more thing…Arash called a while ago. He's up to thirteen."

"Thirteen, huh?" Naruto smirked. "Tell him I'm up by three, then."

"Impressive."

"Thanks. Well, I need to get back. Good luck."

"You too."

Naruto ended the call and rushed back to Shikamaru, who had managed to crawl away from the dead bodies and under a nearby tree. "Hey."

"Hey, drink this." Naruto reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small blue vial. "It's no rations pill, but it'll help."

Shikamaru took it warily and popped the cork, sniffing suspiciously. "What is this stuff?"

"It'll help you recover Chakra. A friend gave it to me, but I've got more. Try it."

Shikamaru looked from him to the vial, and repeated…and repeated…and repeated…and-

"Just drink it!"

Shikamaru sighed and gulped the warm liquid down. It sort of tasted…spicy, for an odd reason. However, moments after drinking it, he felt a small portion of his Chakra restored.

"Whoa…that was fast."

Naruto nodded. "I've gotten a hold of some help. They should be here for you in about half an hour. Think you'll be fine until then?"

Shikamaru nodded. "I can last. Most people won't come near here once they see nine dead bodies. If I bloody up my clothes a bit, everyone'll think I killed them and run away, so I'll be fine."

Naruto nodded. "I'm going to go help fight the sand ninja. You stay safe, alright?"

"Yeah…"

Naruto nodded and turned around, but Shikamaru called out "Naruto!" Naruto looked curiously over his shoulder, looking at him with his unpatched eye. "…Thanks."

Naruto smiled back. "Just file that under my 'you owe me one life' folder. I'm sure we can work out fair compensation at Ichiraku's later."

"Heh…fair enough…good luck." Naruto nodded and disappeared into the trees.

**Break**

"The Fourth is…alive?" The Sandaime asked in shock.

The Shodaime Hokage looked at him. "He is not among the dead, to say the least."

Orochimaru chuckled. "Kukuku…Interesting…so Konoha's Yellow Flash lives…and then why is he not standing before me, protecting his precious village?"

The Second shook his head. "You ask us what is impossible to know."

"Ah…yes, you've been dead…you've probably only heard stories in the afterlife." He stepped forward, pushing over the coffins as he went. "Well, it matters not. He is not here to assist you, and so he can make no difference in the outcome. Such a shame, really…I'd planned to savor the sight of him killing his old friends once I'd finished with you, Sarutobi…Now…" He raised two kunai knives, each with a spell card attached, and pushed them into the reanimated Hokages' skulls.

"War…no matter the era…" The First muttered.

"'Tis truly a sad cycle."

"Hehe…you know you thirst for it!" Orochimaru finished, fully inserting them into the First and Second.

"Making a mockery of life…do you seek to become a god?" The Third asked himself.

The two Hokages began to loose their look of deterioration. Color returned to their skin, rust on their armor was removed, and the life returned to their eyes once more. But…it was not the same life. There was a soul in there, but it was caged…enslaved by an uncontrollable force. That was the life their eyes held, if it could even be called that.

"I see…they are no longer the Shodaime or Nidaime…merely shells of their former selves…killing machines…"

Orochimaru chuckled. "There's nothing like the joy that can be achieved when the student surpasses the master. I've prepared this little scenario so that you could learn just that. A pity the Fourth won't be joining us…but this is much more appropriate upon reflection…so…" He clapped his hands together in front of his grinning face. "…please savor it!"

The Hokage rushed at the three, and prepared his jutsu. "Katon: Karyu Endan!"

The Second Hokage stepped in front of them, and went though his own handseals. He then spat out a wall of water, protecting the three of them from the incoming flames.

'_And all without even having an active water source…_' The Hokage noted.

The fire contacting with the water created a sudden mist, surrounding the combatants. The Third looked around, trying to stay on the offensive, but failed as the two Kages rushed at him.

The Third managed to block a straight punch from the First, and brought his leg up to counter his kick, but then he saw the Second running around to his right, and ducked underneath one of his blows. The First spun around and lowered himself, trying to sweep his feet out, but the Third jumped and twisted, flipping to the side and punching the Second in the face while he kicked the first back. He flipped himself back a few paces and watched as the Second rushed at him again.

The Second leapt into the air and kicked down, which the Hokage managed to knock away at the last second, but he as not expecting the Second Hokage to duck, allowing the First to throw five shuriken at him. The Third leapt high into the air and landed several paces away from them. By the time the Third had landed, he saw the Second Hokage preparing another water jutsu, with the First close behind. He decided to focus on the one coming first, and formed a few more quick seals. Quickly, he opened his mouth, and spat out a gigantic wall of mud that continued to grow as time passed. The Second Unleashed his water technique, but was unable to breach the hardened earth.

The Third leapt to the top of the wall, just in time to see the tiles begin to bend out of shape, and watched in awe as the tiles cracked against the force of the growing trees. '_The First's secret wood techniques…not good…_' He thought as he bit this thumb. The first clasped his hands before his face, and continued to feed the roots. The roots quickly grew into the wall, and just as the Third finished a few handseals, the growing wood breached the top of the wall. In under a minute, the entire inside of the barrier was surrounded in forest. The third sat wrapped in the wood, hardly able to move. However, his right arm still maintained a level of mobility…just enough.

He stretched his arm, barely reaching the other side, and just managed to plant his palm on a nearby branch. '_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_' The area in front of him was then surrounded in smoke, but he heard the dull thud against the wood as his summoning landed. '_Come forth, Enma, lord of the apes!_' The smoke vanished, revealing a monkey in a black shinobi suit, a tiger-skin cape, long white hair and beard, a long white tail, and a Konoha headband around his head.

Orochimaru looked up, scoffing. '_A crazed old ape? Is that all you can manage, my old master?_'

The monkey king looked down at his new opponents, and frowned once he saw Orochimaru. "So, at long last, the time has come…'tis truly sad, Sarutobi, to think how different things would have been should you have succeeded in ending it all those years ago…"

"I'm getting to that now…"

"'Now' may be too late."

The Hokage sharpened his gaze. "Enma! Indestructible Adamantine staff!"

"As you wish…transform!" Enma leapt into the air, and backflipped, transforming in the air into a long black staff with golden tips. Having already flipped, the great staff crashed into the branches surrounding the Third, crushing them in an instant. Once free, the Third leapt up and grabbed the staff, and continued down to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru tilted his head back, highly amused with the situation. '_Well well, things are finally starting to get interesting…_' He opened his mouth wide in a snake-like motion, only to have a real snake covered in his saliva climb out of his throat and open its mouth, bringing out a shining blue sword with a scale-like hilt.

The Hokage stared as he continued his descent. '_Even in this hardened form, the blade of Kusanagi can still inflict pain…We mustn't underestimate him!_'

The Hokage landed in front of the two former Hokages and swung the staff to the side, but both ducked and leapt at him. The Third leaned forward as he followed through, spinning the staff along his back to ward off attack. He grasped the staff in his hand once he stood facing them once more and swung it in an arc, knocking away an incoming punch. Then, he followed it around until his back was facing them and backflipped over them, landing behind them, and held one end of the staff in each hand, shoving it into the backs of both the First and Second, sending them flying back.

The Hokage ducked when he felt Orochimaru swing his blade behind him, just barely dodging decapitation as he felt the sword slide over the top of his helmet. He spun around and shifted the staff so his right hand was on the end, and shoved it forward at Orochimaru's head. Orochimaru dodged, and dodged the repeat simply by tilting his head. He swung his sword again, but the Third weave to the left and dragged the staff along with him, trying to sweep his feet out from under him. Unfortunately, Orochimaru dodged and swung his own blade down. The Third leapt to the side, but failed to notice the First and Second come up from behind him, and both kicked him high into the air. The Third managed to pull out two explosive tags and attach them to their legs, but he only just managed to move the solid Enma in the way of Kusanagi, parrying the attack in the air with the blunt of the staff. Enma growled in pain while still transformed. The Third landed behind Orochimaru just as the tags went off.

The legs of both the First and Second Hokages blew clear off as the tags detonated, but to the Third's surprise, Orochimaru, who'd been standing right next to him, wasn't caught in the blast. He'd already high-tailed it out of there, and was well outside the blast radius.

The Third looked back at the First and Second, and analyzed the situation. '_So…as long as they have those seals that erase their mind and restored their bodies, they cannot be destroyed…which means that I can either destroy those seals, or remove their souls from the host bodies. The only way to remove the souls…I'd rather not think about that, but if I can remove the tags, I can-_'

"I'm afraid that's impossible, Sarutobi-sensei…" Orochimaru chuckled. He had his head tilted, completely covering his face.

The Third looked at him. "And just what are you talking about?"

Orochimaru couldn't seem to stop laughing. "You truly think you can remove the tags. Priceless!"

The Third's eyes widened. "You…my mind…how could you possibly…"

Orochimaru's chuckle burst into a full laugh, though he did not raise his head. "Finally…I no longer have to hide it…the power that I've never shown to anyone…who survived…"

"…Orochimaru…you-"

"That power…the untamed power of the Fourth…" He raised his head, eyes closed. "…Has been mastered…" That insidious grin would that the Third would forever remember "…By ME!!" Orochimaru opened his snake-like eyes…or rather eye, for his right eye had no pupil. No, just the glowing red…the glowing blood red…of the berserker.

**Break**

Kankuro and Temari continued through the forest with Gaara on Kankuro's shoulder. The wound was deep, and he needed immediate medical attention.

Temari turned to Kankuro. "How much further?"

Kankuro turned to her. "Not much. We should be there soon. Just hold on."

They continued to leap through the trees, until suddenly Temari twitched. "Duck!" Both of them leapt down through the trees, landing on the branch just below the one suddenly filled with Kunai.

They were about to continue their journey, but were suddenly stopped by four Genin blocking their path. "Yo." Sasuke smirked.

Kankuro grimaced. '_Damnit! We need Gaara to carry out the plan! We need to get him to a medic, now…we don't have time for this!_' Kankuro looked around, searching for an exit, but found none.

Sasuke looked straight at Gaara. "You and I have a fight to finish. It'd be rude to run off so unexpectedly."

Kankuro lowered his gaze to the unconscious Gaara at his side. If they got caught up in a fight now, he'd never receive the medical attention he needed. He looked over his shoulder and nodded at Temari, who shakily nodded back.

Kankuro tossed Gaara to Temari and in one swift motion removed part of the bandages surrounding his puppet and used his chakra strings to move the arm through, firing a poison ball to the group of Genin.

"It's poison, watch out!" Tenten shouted as the four dived to the sides to avoid it. Temari wrapped some cloth around hers and Gaara's mouths from inside her ninja pouch and dived through the smoke, continuing onward.

"They're getting away!" Hotaka shouted. The four were about to regroup and continue on, until Kankuro launched Crow ahead, extending the blades in his arms and keeping them from pursuing.

However, the four of them quickly realized that Kankuro was completely defenseless like this.

However, Shino raised his hand. "I'll handle this, if you don't mind. Please, continue on with your pursuit. I'll catch up with you later."

Hotaka looked unsure. "This is just what happened to Shikamaru and Naruto…are you sure?"

"They went up against multiple hostiles. A single one will not prove much difficulty."

"But…" Tenten muttered.

"Do not forget our mission. Leave this to me, and I'll scout you out with my bugs when I'm done. Go!"

Sasuke growled. That was the same thing both Naruto and Shikamaru had said, but neither were there…but Shino was right: focus on the mission. This was war. "Fine, but get it done fast. We'll meet up when we're through with Gaara."

"Yes sir."

The other three leapt into the trees, leaving Shino and Kankuro alone.

Suddenly, Kankuro began to chuckle, with Karasu sitting at his side. "You fools…you all…have no idea what true fear is."

Shino spread his arms out, preparing for combat. "And you plan to teach me?"

"Oh, no way! But if you beat me and meet up with your friends, you'll find out, and you'll regret every moment of it. Of course, that's _if_ you can beat me!" Karasu reached around Kankuro and grasped him as Kankuro prepared for combat.

Shino mirrored his actions, and out from under his sleeves, a single bug emerged, but it was merely the envoy of the armada as hundreds of bugs formed around Shino's hands.

Kankuro wasted no time and quickly launched Karasu forward, having it extend its hand, and out from the lower wrist came a blade soaked in poison. Shino leapt back in time to avoid the blade, leading it directly through the branch. Shino watched as the powerful poison began to eat through the wood on contact. '_I can't get hit by that…it'll be the end of me._' However, Shino wasn't expecting the puppet to open its mouth and unleash a barrage of poison Kunai. He was hit full on, falling to the ground.

"Heh…that was fast." Kankuro muttered victoriously. "Now I can go head off those other ninja for a rear atta-what?!" He froze when he saw Shino's body disperse into a horde of beetles! '_A bug clone?!_' Kankuro looked to his left just in time to see the real Shino throw a punch at his face, but he managed to duck just in time, feeling it graze his cheek. He leapt away onto another branch, and into safety. "I'll admit you almost had me, using that clone to allow yourself to circle around."

Shino turned to face him. "Since you use a puppet, I figured you'd be bad at close-range combat. Using the art of puppetry forces you to focus on using the puppet, while kindly leaving his defenses low for his opponent to take advantage of…"

Kankuro growled. "Not bad, figuring out a puppeteer's weak point so easily…but the show's only just begun!" Karasu's elbow joint rose, revealing a hollow tube, and releasing a spring-loaded ball of poison. The ball hit the branch below Shino, and covered him in a poison mist.

Shino observed the color for a moment, before realizing just what danger he was in. '_It's the same poison as before! It's too late now…I've inhaled a bit already…I'll have to finish this quick!_' Shino leapt out of the fog, noticing how Kankuro had used the poison fog to hide himself, and landed on a nearby branch…right behind Karasu!

Shino turned around just as the Karasu did, and just as Karasu was about to eliminate Shino, Shino fell back around the branch and sent his beetles all throughout the branch, right at Karasu. They quickly scurried up the joints and filled them, making Karasu completely immobile. Kankuro stared, unable to believe it. '_He's packed his beetles into Karasu's joints…I can't move him!_' The beetles continued to scurry about, filling up the joints completely, and began to crawl along the strings. '_They feed on chakra, it seems…and they're traveling down the strings. I'll reveal my location if I don't do something!_' Kankuro quickly severed the chakra strings from his hiding place.

Shino stared, watching as the chakra strings faded away. "So, he severed them did he…!!"

One of the strings flew through the air and latched onto Karasu's head, separating it from the rest of he body. It opened its mouth, revealing a small poisoned lance, and sped towards Shino, fast. "DIE!!" Kankuro shouted as it flew towards Shino.

But just before it hit, it froze.

Kankuro looked at his hand, and saw that the string had been cut…by the beetles! They began to swarm his entire body, draining him of all his chakra.

Shino began to breathe heavily; the poison was kicking in. "When I tried to hit you, I actually planted a female on your head…the males swarmed around the almost indistinguishable scent…the bugs on the chakra strings were just a decoy, and you fell for it." Kankuro fell from the lack of chakra as the bugs feasted, but Shino was no different as he fell, unable to hold himself anymore. '_But still…that poison, even if it was just a little…I won't be able to move for a while…I'm sorry, Uchiha Sasuke…_'

**Break**

Cloud walked up to the WRO Konoha-branch HQ. Stepping up to the door, he quickly walked up to the scanner. He pulled out his I.D. from his pocket and scanned it, followed by his cornea scan. He blinked as the light passed over his eye, but ignored it as he input his password into the keypad. The moment he pressed enter, the door swooshed open, allowing the group entry. Victor entered first, followed by all of the other various scientists and officials. Tseng and Vincent held up, speaking to Cloud.

"Do you have a plan?" Tseng asked Cloud.

Cloud turned to Vincent. "Well? You're in charge of this facility. Just say the word…"

Vincent closed his eyes, and shook his head by an inch. "No…at least not until Arash returns with an exact number. However, Victor spoke with me a second ago…"

"About what?" Tseng asked.

"…He wanted someone to grab some of Konoha's supplies, such as chakra paper, medical pills, and any jutsu scrolls that we can find." He turned to Tseng. "I'm asking you to personally see to this."

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "That could seriously damage our relation with the village."

Tseng turned to Vincent. "Accepted. Elena and I shall see to it immediately."

Cloud stared at Tseng. "Tseng, didn't you just hear what I said?"

Tseng nodded. "Yes, but our relationship is already damaged beyond repair."

"…Explain."

Tseng turned to Vincent, who gave a small nod. "You've been gone from so long, so you wouldn't know, but our relationship with Konoha has been…rocky, to say the least. They didn't trust us and we didn't trust them. However, we came in at an unfortunate time with the village on high alert. And now, they are attacked. It is only natural for them to suspect us. It's best to find out what we can now, just in case."

"…In case what?"

"Don't play dumb, Cloud."

Cloud closed his eyes. "…We'll wait for Arash to return before we do anything, alright?"

Vincent shook his head. "We don't have much time left, Cloud. This cannot be delayed." He turned to Tseng. "Move out." Tseng nodded, and walked off to where the ninja academy was located.

Vincent turned to Cloud. "We have no choice."

Cloud sighed. "I know…it's just…"

Vincent closed his eyes, and turned around. "…Whatever comes next, it's his choice. Stop dwelling on the newbie; he'll be fine."

Cloud looked down, and smiled a little. "…You're right…it's, well, you know." Vincent nodded and walked inside, with Cloud soon following behind. And with a flick of a switch, the door whizzed shut.

**Break**

A sound ninja stabbed Kakashi in the back…only to find it was a substitution. He quickly met his end at the hands of the same ninja he thought he killed when he felt the cold piece of metal sever his own spinal column.

Kakashi stood up, watching lazily as two more came at him from above. However, neither were expecting a giant man in a bowl cut to collide with them, sending them both flying into a wall.

Gai leapt behind Kakashi, keeping eye as the Genin moved the guests through the hatch hidden at the center-front of the center stage, and into one of the shelters.

Sakura ran up to Kakashi, keeping her head down. "Kakashi-sensei, the last group is awake! We'll be clear and ready to leave in about ten minutes."

Kakashi nodded, raising both arms and throwing a dozen shuriken into a group of shinobi that just reached the top of the wall. "Good work, now get them out of here!" Sakura nodded, rejoining the effort in safely evacuating the civilians.

"I never thought this many would invade the village…and not just sound, but sand as well…" Gai muttered.

"Well, think about it…that's why they call it war."

**Break**

"Damnit…we were so close!" Temari growled, staring down Sasuke, Hotaka and Tenten. She lowered her gaze to her brother, who was still unconscious. "He's still out of it…there's no way I can take these guys on alone!"

Sasuke stepped forward, smirking. "Well well, did I really hurt him that bad?" Sasuke raised his arm and assumed his adjust stance. "Leave. This is between me and him."

Temari looked shocked. "He's unconscious! He can't fight!"

Sasuke smirked. "He's the one that suggested a death match. There is no mercy in war."

Hotaka turned to Sasuke. "Hey, hold it! Out objective was to eliminate him only if we couldn't capture him!"

Sasuke shook his head. "My agreement with him comes first. Either way, the threat will be eliminated. Stand down!"

Hotaka growled. "Why you-"

Tenten held out her hand, blocking Hotaka. "Hey, don't forget that he's the leader. Even if it is against the objective, Sasuke is in charge of this mission…and this is war…it'll be best not to take any chances…"

Sasuke smirked. "Exactly. If we captured him and took him back, we'd just be giving him the chance to complete his mission." He narrowed his eyes. "He will die."

Temari growled, letting Gaara rest against the tree branch she was standing on. "If you want him, come and get him!" She pulled out her giant fan and flapped it, unleashing a raging wind against the three Genin.

Hotaka saw this coming and formed some handseals, slamming his palms on the ground. Out of the branch in front of his palms extended another branch, taking the form of a large wooden shell. The wind impacted the wood, yet did little damage to it as it impacted and glided around the surface.

As soon as the wind subsided, Tenten leapt up and unleashed a barrage of weapons at Temari from her summoning scrolls. Temari watched as the weapons began to approach her, and smirked, swinging her fan. The force of the wind sent all of the weapons right back at Tenten, but suddenly wood began to branch off from the shield and latched onto Tenet's ankle, pulling her sharply to the left, and allowing her to throw more projectiles. Temari hadn't recovered from the first strike enough to mold Chakra and create more wind, so instead she planted her unfolded fan in front of her, parrying the weapons. Temari smirked, looking over her fan. Tenten cut the wood on her ankle, allowing herself to fall, but not before throwing one last pair of kunai. Temari smirked at first, until she saw the target of the attack…

"Gaara!" She shouted. She wasn't able to pull her fan out fast enough, so she did the only thing she could do: she took the blow.

She leapt in front of Gaara and held her arms out to cover her head. She managed to block the kunai from hitting Gaara, but she took them both for him, one in the shoulder and the other in the thigh.

Temari collapsed, unable to move her right leg that had been hit. Struggling, she watched Tenten land behind the wooden shield, and scowled. She pulled out the kunai in her right shoulder and leg, and crawled over to her fan, which she used as a crutch to help her stand. She struggled a bit, but was able to make it to her feet.

Temari wobbled behind the fan, wiping some of her blood off of her shoulder wound, and swiping it on the fan. '_They'll pay…I'll take them all down!_'

The blood ran across all three stars on the fan, and Temari smirked, leaning on the fan as she forced her right arm to follow her left as she ran through a few seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Smoke surrounded the immediate area, and slowly began to disperse. When it finally did, a weasel covered in a black robe with red seams appeared. He had green cloth wrapped around his head, covering his left eye, had snow-white fur, and carried a scythe as large as its entire body!

Temari smirked, and pointed at the barricade. "Destroy that thing, and anyone in it!"

The weasel gave a snort, and rushed off at speeds undetectable by the human eye. In a blink, the barricade, along with anyone behind it (including trees within a range of fifty feet) were cut to ribbons. Three cries could be heard, and she watched as the bodies of her three opponents fell to the ground amongst their shattered shield (and any trees within a range of fifty feet). They hit the ground with a hard thud, much to her satisfaction. The weasel reappeared in front of her, and then disappeared in a veil of smoke.

Temari dislodged her fan, smiling at her apparent victory…until…

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

Temari looked up, and saw a giant fireball descending towards them. Thinking fast, and using her good left leg, she leapt towards Gaara and used her fan as a shield against the giant fireball. The fireball hit the fan, but while it charred the tree, the two beneath it remained unhurt, if a little cooked.

Temari scowled, and tried to regroup, but quickly found the situation hopeless as the Hotaka leapt in front of her and shoved her fan out of her hands, letting it fall to the forest floor. Temari recoiled as the three landed in front of her. She shivered when the noticed that each of them held a kunai. "H-how could you have…"

Hotaka pointed to the forest floor where their 'bodies' had fallen. "Wood clones." Temari looked, and indeed, cut-up wooden figures lay scattered amongst the carnage. "While you tried to regroup, we circled around just in time to avoid your little friend."

"Now then…to complete our mission…" Sasuke walked up to them, and was about to stab Gaara, but Temari got in the way, grabbing his wrist. "Do you want to die?"

Temari growled. "I-I won't let…"

Sasuke growled. "Fine." Sasuke picked Temari up and held her to his side. He let her go, before kicking her to the side. Temari landed on a lower branch with a hard thud, unable to move.

Hotaka nodded. "You didn't kill her…"

"She isn't the objective…besides, Gaara is the only one who I agreed to kill…" Sasuke walked closer to Gaara, raising his kunai, and aimed for the heart.

But then, Sasuke heard something. Gaara's voice…almost unnoticeable, breaking the silence. It was then that Sasuke realized: he wasn't unconscious!

Gaara kept muttering the same phrase over again, without even moving his lips. He kept it on repeat, and repeated if over three times while the kunai shivered in Sasuke's hand, until his eyes finally snapped open, looking up at them with rage. "I WILL NOT CEASE TO EXIST!!"

The gourd on Gaara's back seemed to melt, molding around his right arm and the right part of his face. Gaara's right eye went black as the sand formed around his skin. It was truly an indescribable sight; the sand on his arm formed black cracks as a giant claw covered his entire arm, with the sand on his face forming the image of a monster. In place of his right eye, a dull tan-colored eye with a diamond pupil formed, surrounded by four dots in a box-formation around the diamond.

Gaara raised the giant claw, and slashed, sending the three Genin into the trees. Hotaka hit hard and lost consciousness, while Tenten and Sasuke managed to retain alert, though Tenten did hear a 'crack' when she hit.

Gaara stood, eyeing the fresh meat, and grinned wildly, drooling uncontrollably. "Now, LET ME FEEL ALIVE!!"

**Break**

"Not…possible…" The Sandaime stared.

Orochimaru continued to laugh, clearly enjoying the look on the Third's face.

"…What bloodline is this? You related to the Yondaime? To Uzumaki?!"

Orochimaru allowed his chuckling to subside. "Bloodline? Do you know nothing, old man?"

The Third growled. "That eye…how could you possibly have…"

"The same way the others have received it: we were born with it."

"And yet you claim it is no bloodline?"

Orochimaru stifled a laugh. "Oh, this is truly a sight to see Konoha's 'Professor' stumped with such ease…I've waited an eternity for this wondrous day!"

"And then how have you received it? Have you somehow stolen it from the Fourth?"

"And how would I do that? He still lives, correct? Or at the very least, is not dead. How could I have stolen the eye of the legendary Fourth Hokage?"

"…How long, then?"

Orochimaru's grin widened. "A long time…it's just that…It was a valuable tool, which I only used in the presence of someone I wanted to kill…"

"…And so you show it now…"

"Of course, master...you, of all people deserve to see me for who I truly am!"

The Third grimaced. "Now…what is it, then? You haven't gone berserk like either of the other two users have…what's your game?"

Orochimaru raised his hands to his face, and gripped it. His face seemed to stretch as he gripped it, altering its very shape, before being ripped off, revealing a young woman, not even in her thirties. The blood red eye was still glowing.

"…What in the world…"

"Hah! Are you that surprised, you old bat? It's still me, Orochimaru."

The Sandaime cringed. "So…you finally finished it, did you? The forbidden jutsu…you couldn't have…"

Orochimaru began to laugh once more. "Oh, I am enjoying this. In this past decade, ever since I left the village, I've struggled…but at long last…I've done it! I have achieved immortality!"

"You…"

"By transferring my mind and soul into another, I'm able to achieve eternal life…so long as I have bodies to continue the cycle. I only wore my old face to bring back all those joyful memories of ages past. Did you feel it, Sensei?" The Third scoffed. "As we age, we are helpless, flowing down the river of time…until one day, our boat springs a leak, and we drown…but by replacing your boat with one far younger…one can, in theory, life forever…"

"…Those same twisted thoughts were the very reason you could never become Hokage…"

"Heh…those words bring back memories…you said nothing different when I left ten years ago…"

The Third closed his eyes. '_If I cannot destroy the bodies of my predecessors…I must remove their souls…and if I must, then I must use that jutsu…and I shall take him with me…_' "So, how many bodies have you stolen?"

Orochimaru tapped his finger to his chin. "Oh, only one, I think…no more than this one so far…"

"…Did that body have the eye when you stole it?"

Orochimaru chuckled, covering his face and rubbing his temple. "Perhaps it needs to be repeated once more…this is no bloodline. I'm certain a bloodline exists who's members can wield these eyes; in fact, I've met one before…but no, mine is not from birth…"

"And then, what is it?"

"The Soul."

The Third narrowed his eyes. "What do you…"

Orochimaru raised his arms, fiddling with his sword as he explained. "A bloodline is of the body; purely physical, existing through genetics, and can be passed down from generation to generation, but my eye, the Kurogan: eye of darkness, along with the Fourth's and Naruto-kun's, are spiritual…spirit limits? Yes, I believe that's what they're called…"

"…So…that means that…!!"

Orochimaru grinned as the Third's eyes widened. "Yes…a spirit limit may remain with the soul forever, even when bodies are exchanged…tethered to my very soul, it is mine for eternity!"

"Then…the body switch technique…"

"Yes! If I can achieve in finding the body with the perfect bloodline limit, combined with my spirit limit, I may perhaps find a way to make the physical match the spiritual…eternal…"

The Third pondered on his words for a moment, before… "…No!"

"Yes!" He licked his lips.

"…Uchiha…Sasuke!" The Third closed his eyes, gathering his wits. "You twisted…I should have predicted this…"

"Heh…say what you will, master…this will be our last meeting. None have ever seen me use this eye…and lived to tell the tale!"

Sarutobi smirked. "Heh…so you believe this is my end?"

"I can see it now…you plan to use the Fourth's jutsu on me, correct?" The Third's eyes widened. "And just what is this jutsu, Sensei?"

'_If I don't think it, he'll never know!_'

Orochimaru chuckled. "But you have…I've seen it all…you cannot guard your mind!"

The Third scowled. "So…you know what I'm going to do?"

"Yes…but apparently by using it, you will die…so, I want to see it for myself, before you disappear…" He picked up his original face off the ground, and raised it to his head. "But, just to have you ruing your fate…this face should be much more fitting in the end…"

"Heh…I may die, but I'm taking you with me!" He placed the solid Enma behind him, and crossed his fingers "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Two clones immediately appeared at his sides, and imitated him as he ran through some seals. '_Snake, boar, sheep, rabbit, dog, rat, bird, horse, snake!_' He clapped his hands together along with his clones, and raised them to his face.

Orochimaru scoffed, deactivating his eye. "It's too late, old man. I've already won. Konoha will fall!"

"Feh! Do you really think that this village will fall so easily?"

"Heh heh…are you truly that ignorant? This village is nothing more than another organization. All organizations end…even the mightiest hidden village; the land of fire had other villages before Konoha, and each was destroyed, never outlasting the test of time. Now, the leaf village shall follow!"

Orochimaru quickly raised two shuriken and threw them at the Third, who made no motion to stop them as they sliced the top of his shoulders. He flinched, but made no other motion.

"…This village…is my home, and the home of every leaf village ninja! We will fight…even die to protect everything within these walls. Blood-ties or no, every single person here is important to me…they are my…family!"

Orochimaru smirked. "Then if I knock down its central pillar, the very house of Konoha will fall, and I shall see to it that it is never rebuilt."

"Heh…no, I am not the pillar, merely the one who inspires others to raise it, and protect it…the true pillar…is the family we fight to protect! I ignite that burning fire in every citizen, just as my predecessors have…I am the Third Hokage! Even if I should fall, a new Hokage, stronger than I, shall rise and inspire the people once more! The fire shall flicker, but never die!"

The Third formed his final seal, and looked up at Orochimaru, with fire in his eyes. "Now, allow me to show you my final jutsu: Shiki Fujin!"

**Break**

Sasuke scowled as he stared down the figure Gaara had become. He stared at the arm, clearly remembering it from the exam. And that eye…it was the same one he'd seen in the hole. He looked down at his hand, bringing closely to his face, and watched it shake. '_I'm…quivering?_'

Tenten looked over at Hotaka, who was slumped over in the tree next to her. She growled, realizing how desperate the situation was. She took a knee, but immediately regretted it when she felt her ankle scream in pain. She collapsed, falling off the side of the tree, and was just able to cling onto it with her Chakra before falling down. She hung there for a moment, before climbing up and sitting on the branch, inspecting her right ankle. It appeared to be sprained, possible broken…

Sasuke looked over at Tenten, and saw her wound. He narrowed his eyes. "Tenten! You stay out of this and treat your injury! I'll handle Gaara."

Tenten stared. "But Sasuke…look at-"

"That's an order!" Tenten looked slightly shocked, but nodded and reached into her pack, pulling out a few medical supplies.

Sasuke turned back to Gaara, but was surprised to find him an inch from his face. Sasuke used his speed to throw himself to the side just in time to avoid the charging Gaara, who smashed right into the branch and continued on for two more trees, cutting them down as he charged.

Sasuke leaned back against the tree, unable to believe what just happened. "He…he really is a monster!"

Gaara turned around, the sand continuing to mold around him, forming a long tail out from behind his tailbone. He grinned crazily, sending a chill down Sasuke's spine. "Do you fear me, Uchiha?" Sasuke twitched. "Do you fear me?!"

Sasuke scowled. "A deathmatch, huh…yes, this is a deathmatch…" Sasuke lowered his gaze, ignoring Gaara's taunts.

"Has fear overshadowed your hatred? Has it? Is this the pitiful extent of your existence?!"

Sasuke removed himself from the tree, and formed more seals.

"Don't you want to test it? Come on!"

"…I liked it better when you were quiet…" Sasuke announced, raising his chidori. '_You question my existence? Ha! I am an avenger! I will not die until Itachi lies dead!_' Sasuke raised his gaze, locking onto Gaara, and as if on queue, both leapt through the air, thrusting their arms out. Gaara's roar penetrated the forest, sending birds flying thought the air, their sound only heightening the sound of the chidori. And then, they met. The result was completely one-sided.

The Chidori sliced right through Gaara's gigantic claw, sending waves of foreign pain through Gaara's arm. Gaara fell for a moment when hitting the new branch, giving Sasuke a chance to turn around, but to his surprise, Gaara began to chuckle, and then laugh at his attempt to win, and quickly, the sand repaired itself, forming a new claw as if nothing had ever happened.

Gaara bowed his head, clasping at his newly reformed claw. "Hehehe…I finally understand…yes, I get it! I understand why fighting you is so much fun!" Sasuke narrowed his eyes, his Sharingan still active. "This pain…if I can kill the one who brings me pain…I"LL FEEL MORE ALIVE THAN EVER!!"

Gaara leaned back on the branch, grabbing the end with his claw, and flung himself forward. "DIE, UCHIHA!!"

Sasuke cringed and leapt up just in time to avoid joining the branch in decapitation. He landed on the underside of the branch above him, watching as Gaara's claw spread and grasped onto another branch, swinging himself around, and launching himself at Sasuke.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. '_Even though he's got that large body, he just keeps getting faster…without the Sharingan to predict his moves, I'd have died a long time ago._' Sasuke clasped his hands together and formed another sequence of seals. He took a deep breath, and raised his hand to his mouth. '_Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!_'

Sasuke unleashed a giant fireball at Gaara, but Gaara used his tail and claw to form a shield, rendering the fire useless. Gaara uncurled, still flying right at Sasuke. "DIE!!"

Sasuke raised his arms, unable to dodge in time. '_Fire's completely useless against that…it's risky, but Chidori's all I got…!!_' Gaara slashed Sasuke, cutting into his arms. Sasuke was knocked back by the force, landing hard on another branch. Gaara grabbed a branch from below and swung up on it, landing on the branch, and staring down the unmoving form of Konoha's last Uchiha.

"Is this it? Is this all you can do? Is this all you're worth?! You're pathetic!" Sasuke twitched. "Hatred…your desire to kill can make you strong…your desire for vengeance, for killing will never match mine!"

"…Shut up."

"Do you still not get it…" Sasuke looked up, and as he did, the sound of chirping birds filled the air. Sasuke raised his hand, Chidori active in hand. "It means…" Gaara leapt at Sasuke, who leapt to meet him in the air. Sasuke wound up to strike, but twitched as he felt his chakra begin to fade, and the chidori begin to sizzle. "You are weaker!"

_CRASH!!_

Gaara and Sasuke landed on opposite branches, both still managing to stand. However, Sasuke began to feel weak, and dropped to his knees…with curse seal active, and chidori chirping in hand.

Gaara's claw fell, hanging by a few threads after their showdown. His arm was heavily damaged, sporting a deep cut. Gaara growled in pain, gripping his exposed, bleeding arm.

Sasuke felt the chidori go out as he fell to the ground, unable to move any further. Gaara began to reshape the sand around his arm, reforming the claw, and looked over his shoulder at the fallen figure, smirking wildly, gnashing his teeth. He lunged, intent on finishing the job.

Sasuke tried to stand, but found it impossible. '_My strength…the curse mark! I can't…move!_'

Suddenly, Sasuke felt the wood in front of him rise, forming a hard shield a foot thick. Gaara embedded his claw inside the shield, intent on charging through, but this wood was infused with chakra. He couldn't get through.

"Limit Break!"

A fist came rocketing through the hardened wood, reducing it to splinters, and connected hard with Gaara's jaw. Gaara flew back and just managed to recover in time to grab onto another branch about fifty feet away.

Naruto stood in front of Sasuke and drew his Buster Sword just as Hotaka landed behind him. "Sheesh, what a mess." Naruto commented.

Sasuke looked up at the uncloaked Naruto, noting the new clothes, the eyepatch, and the hair. "Hrgh!" Sasuke grabbed the curse mark. '_This mark…I've got to suppress it!_' Sasuke growled, trying to draw it back in, coughing up blood in his efforts.

Hotaka kneeled next to Sasuke. "Stop. Just lay low for a while." He turned when he saw Tenten land next to him, her foot in a tight wooden cast running up her lower leg. "You alright?"

Tenten nodded. "Enough to move…it's still a pain in the ass…"

Naruto leapt to the branch in front of him, taking note of Gaara's features. "…What'd I miss?"

"Enough." Tenten muttered.

"I can see that."

Hotaka turned to Tenten. "Hey, can you get him out of here?"

Tenten's eyes widened at his request. "What? I can help fight!"

"Not with that leg, you can't. You're too slow, and we can't watch over you this time. Just get him to a safe spot where he can recover."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he shuddered. "S-Stop! This is my…my fight!"

Hotaka stood up, walking forward, and leapt over next to Naruto. "Not anymore. Get going."

Tenten looked unsure. "But…"

"GO!!"

Tenten was taken back by the harshness of his tone. Just looking at his back sent off a level of fear. Nodding, she picked up the slightly struggling Sasuke and wrapped his arm around her shoulder to carry him, and gave one last look at her teammates. "…Don't die, okay?"

Naruto smirked. "Heh. Don't worry, one little psycho is no match for us!"

Tenten nodded, and leapt off into the forest.

Hotaka's sharp gaze softened after they left. Gaara looked ready to attack, but Hotaka held out his arm. "Wait…"

Gaara's eyes widened. "You think you have the right to tell me wha-" He was cut off when he felt the branch beneath him wrap around his legs, and watched as a separate pair wrapped around his claw and arm. "Hurn…"

"Wait!" Naruto looked at Hotaka, waiting for further explanation, but Hotaka had his eyes closed, holding his arm out in front of him, almost magically keeping everything silent. Finally, after a minute like this, Hotaka lowered his arm and opened his eyes. "My apologies. I was waiting to sense them leaving the general area. They're safe now."

"From what?" Naruto muttered.

"I'LL KILL YOU!!" Gaara roared.

Hotaka lowered his head, his fists shaking. "Finally…" Hotaka mumbled. "I've been waiting for so long, but now…I, I don't know what to say…"

"…Hotaka…what?" Naruto muttered, keeping a careful eye on Gaara as he struggled to break free.

Hotaka took a deep breath, and looked up. "Naruto, you hold the Kyubi, am I correct?" He asked, gaining his serious persona.

Naruto froze, unable to believe what he just heard. "Wh-what…"

Hotaka turned to Gaara. "And you…the Ichibi…" Gaara roared, unable to crack the wood.

"…Gaara told me himself, and on the day you and I encountered him, I gathered some of the puss that fell from your wound, Naruto. I found traces of Demonic Chakra…"

Naruto blinked, unable to believe what he was hearing. "But…how did you know which…"

Hotaka chuckled. "I had some help…from my own ball of fur."

Gaara froze for a moment, before gnashing his teeth. "GOBI!!"

Hotaka smirked. "Heh. The Ichibi's begun to take over Gaara…he's recognized me…"

Naruto lowered his sword for a moment. "So…you're a…"

Hotaka closed his eyes, gathering his thoughts. "A long time ago…I told you I didn't remember where I came from, just like Michiko and Yoko…I lied. I just never want to remember that village. When I was young, I was unliked, mistreated and abused. Every day, was another walk through hell. I was hated by everyone, and completely, and utterly, alone. I never knew if I would see the sun again, every time I went to sleep in another box…until the day I turned five…"

"A man came to the village, and he saw something in me…he saw the Five-tailed Wolf inside of me…but he looked past that, and looked at me; just me…and he told me everything. He told me about the tailed-beasts, and how he, like us, held that same burden. He took me away, eight years ago, and brought me home, to live with him and two other children. From that day onward, I have had a family. I never knew I could be so happy…"

Hotaka opened his eyes, staring directly at Gaara. "That day, I promised to help everyone else like me…I looked for them everywhere, and every time I felt a burst of dark energy, I went to meet it. And now, after all my years of searching, I've finally found others just like me and Sensei…"

Hotaka leapt over to the next branch, just a few feet away from Gaara. "Gaara…I don't know how, but somehow, me and Ryuunosuke-Sensei can help you. You don't have to be alone anymore." Hotaka held out his hand, and raised it to Gaara's eye level.

Gaara closed his eyes. For a full minute, they were in silence, with no one uttering a single word. The wind blew, and Naruto, standing in the background, lowered his sword even further, until the tip was parallel to his feet. And in that one moment, Gaara's eyes trembled for a moment. But only for a moment.

Gaara roared, eyes snapping open, and quickly gathered sand all around his body. The sand crashed through the wood, and formed a complete shell around his body, giving him the form of a true tanuki. Gaara swung his now-free right claw at Hotaka, who, having let his guard down, took the full blow. Hotaka crashed into the tree who's branch he'd been standing on, leaving a small imprint of him on the tree, and sank to the ground, falling on his face.

Gaara laughed hysterically. "YES! If I can kill someone just like me, then I shall truly feel alive! I'LL RIP YOU TO PIECES, AND PROVE MY EXISTANCE!!"

Gaara leapt towards Hotaka, landed on the branch, and raised both his claws, bringing them down on the prone figure, but was stopped as Naruto leapt over and raised his sword to parry his blow.

Naruto held his head low, not meeting Gaara's gaze. "How could you…how could you? He only wanted to help…"

"HAHAHAHA!! Help?! That scum?! Both of you, living in that happy sunny world, HELP ME?! Neither of you even has a right to exist!! I will kill you, main you, slaughter you!!"

Naruto kept his head down and his sword high, keeping Gaara's claws occupied. "…Are you really that heartless?" Gaara only roared in response, increasing the force.

Naruto closed his eyes. "Fine." Naruto pushed his sword up, knocking Gaara's claws into the air, and spun around, until his back was facing Gaara, and kicked him into the next tree. Gaara landed hard on the branch, leaving his own imprint on the tree. He was about to rush forward, but Naruto was already face-to-face with him. His face was blank, devoid of any emotions, and his eye…

His right eye burned blood red once more!

"If you do not wish to fill that void in your chest with love, I shall fill it with my sword."

**Break**

The Third looked over his shoulder at the figure hovering behind him, clad in white robes, wild white spiky hair flying everywhere, with long bangs running down the sides of his demonic horned face, holding purple beads in his right left hand and chomping down on a knife. In front of his body, a human-like glowing blue figure was crucified in front of him, hanging in the air, with glowing blue threads tied to the Third's back. The figure looked over at his left hand, and toyed with the beads, before sliding them down his hand. His purple hand grasped the beads, and plunged itself into the Third's back. The Third arched for a second, but recovered, narrowing his eyes on the three enemies.

The Third's shadow clones ran through across the roof, grabbing hold of the two reanimated Hokage's shoulders before they could react. Orochimaru smirked, and threw a load of kunai at the clones, which dug into their bodies. The clones, hacked up blood as they were wounded, but did not disappear, and did not let go. '_I will NOT LET YOU GO!!_'

The Third looked at his clones, and prepared himself. "I summon the, Shinigami!!"

The Shinigami raised its glowing hands and plunged them into the backs of the two clones, running through into the stomachs of the two Hokages. The muscles in the hands seemed to clench, as if grabbing onto something.

Orochimaru stood back, unable to comprehend what was going on. He clenched his sword, trying to grasp it. Orochimaru activated his eye, but all to late.

The bodies of the two reanimated lords began to turn to dust, their skin changing back to the cold, dead color of ash. Flakes of their skin began to fall, crumbling to ash as they hit the ground.

"Our apologies, Sarutobi…" The first said in a pleasant tone.

The Second smiled. "Forgive us for troubling you…"

The Third closed his eyes, tears glistening in his eyes as his clones continued their work. "My friends…please forgive me!"

The hands suddenly yanked back, pulling out the shining souls of the two lords. The souls were then condensed, slowly losing their shape. The two clones' eyes hardened. "Seal!" They shouted in unison. At that moment, light shone out of their abdomens, and the souls were engulfed in that shining white light. The clones closed their eyes in pain, but held strong. After several seconds the light faded, and the same seal that contained the demon fox stood outlined on the stomachs of both clones. However, it did not last long, as both clones soon disappeared in a veil of smoke.

The bodies of the two lords fell to the ground, with ash scattering as they collapsed, filling the air. Once the dust settled, the bodies of Yoroi and Misumi could be made out among the mess. The Third looked at the bodies with disgust, before lowering his head. "Sacrificing your own subordinates so willingly…making a mockery of life itself…" The Third raised his head, tears falling down his cheeks.

"…Heh, you fool! Spouting such nonsense…"

The Third kept his gaze stern, and rushed at Orochimaru, intent on finishing the job. Orochimaru activated his Kurogan once more, and pulled out his sword. However, he was so focused on the Third Hokage charging him that he forgot about Enma, who leapt in front of him from the side and leapt upwards, knocking Orochimaru's hands with him. This gave Sarutobi the chance he needed. He leapt forward and grabbed Orochimaru's shoulders just as the Shinigami plunged its hand through Sarutobi's back, and into Orochimaru's stomach. The moment it made contact, Orochimaru was able to see the god of death behind the Third Hokage, and cringed at the sight. However, Orochimaru still had one move up his sleeve. The sword in his hand, knocked upward by Enma's strike, was given an underhanded position, and Orochimaru brought it down, straight through the Third's back.

Sarutobi cringed as he felt the blade pass through his body, but made no motion to remove it. Instead, he began to focus his chakra in moving the hand out, and pulling out Orochimaru's soul. Orochimaru tried to withdraw the blade and strike again, but found Enma behind the Third, holding the blade in place. Enma moved to strike, but Orochimaru bit his lip and spat the blood on his summoning tattoo, and slammed it on his other arm, summoning a band of purple snakes which crawled over his arm, over Sarutobi's back, up the sword, and entwined around Enma, trapping him.

Orochimaru let go of his sword and formed a seal, but found forming signs useless, and no jutsu were initiated. "I can't…my jutsu!"

Sarutobi smirked as he continued to remove his soul. "I've already got your arms…hand signs are useless now! Just a little longer, and I'll have it all!"

"Then…this is the jutsu used to seal the Kyubi…"

"Yes…and soon your soul shall be removed…and bound! Those souls bound using this jutsu…are believed to fight forever inside the bowels of the god of death!"

Orochimaru's eyes widened as the Shinigami removed the blade from its mouth. For the first time in a long while, Orochimaru felt a very cold chill run down his spine. "No! I won't let you get your way, old man!!"

To Sarutobi's horror, Orochimaru fought back, pulling his own soul back into his body. "Heh heh…can you really finish it, Sarutobi?"

The Third cringed. Time was running out…

**Break**

The body of the giant snake crashed into yet another building, sending the rubble down to the streets below. Another head slammed into a tower, sending the debris in every direction. A squad of shinobi leapt into the air and threw more kunai with explosive notes at it, but to little effect.

On the buildings surrounding the snakes, Sand, Sound and Leaf ninja battled furiously, with blood raining down on the land below. Ibiki landed on a building overlooking the fields; things were not looking good.

"Those snakes are unbelievable…this is out of control!"

"KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!!" Shouted a loud, masculine voice.

A giant cloud appeared above the head of one serpent, before a giant light brown frog with a tan underbelly and two swords strapped to its back fell out of the cloud, landing on the serpent, crushing it beneath its weight. Ibiki and his comrades covered their eyes as dust flew past them. At the top of the toad's head, a figure with long white hair could be made out. "Jiraiya-Sama!"

Jiraiya stood on the toad, thrusting his palm out, while leaning his left foot on his right knee to strike a crazy pose. "You cretins of the netherworld!! Purse your lips and keep your eyes wide! Here today comes the mighty Jiraiya, here to banish you to whence you came!!"

The snakes shook at the sight. From shock, or from holding back waves of laughter, no one ever knew. "Hoho! Frozen by the mighty toad glare! Be gone!!"

Ibiki leapt up behind Jiraiya, who turned to meet him. "Where's the Hokage?"

Ibiki pointed at the stadium. "At the Arena, sir."

Jiraiya turned, noting the large purple barrier. '_Orochimaru, eh? Don't you die, old man!_'

**Break**

Cloud leaned against the wall after placing his sword on a chair to the right, turning his head when he heard the door swoosh open. Arash stepped inside, placing his bow behind his back. Arash walked over to Cloud and took a place on the wall, crossing his arms.

"What kept you?"

"A surprise party."

"How'd you handle it?"

"Hmph. They won't be any more parties for them."

"Good. Naruto's up to sixteen."

"Twenty-one."

"As expected."

"Hmph."

Cloud paused. "How many?"

"Hundreds of Sound and Sand ninja, thousands of Samurai thugs, and two giant three-headed snakes are attacking the village. The Samurai will probably rush in once the snakes have pushed to the heart of the village. They'll have a clear path."

"…"

"What's the W.R.O. going to do here…?"

"…Nothing."

Arash raised an eyebrow beneath his cloak. "Really…"

"At the moment, this isn't our business. However, you and I will be participating, along with Naruto, obviously. When the time comes for the push, we'll be in the front."

"Understood." Arash walked off the wall and over to the elevator at the end of the entryway. "I'll go rest."

"Good."

Arash stepped up to the elevator, and pressed the button to take him up. He heard the elevator approach, and heard the doors begin to open. He stepped forward, but quickly stopped to avoid hitting the person in front of him.

"Oh, hi Arash." Tifa chirped.

"Hn." Arash grunted as he sidestepped Tifa into the elevator. Tifa sighed as she stepped out, and walked over to Cloud.

Cloud took off his hood, his blonde spikes flying in every direction as usual. "Hey."

Tifa sighed. "Hey."

"You alright?"

"Nothing."

"…Come on…"

"…It's these kids of yours. Naruto's a ball of energy, and Arash acts like the rest of us don't even exist!"

"…They do have their quirks, don't they?"

Tifa sighed, slumping down the wall. "Denzel wanted to see you."

"…I've got time."

Tifa sat up in an instant, an inch away from Cloud's face. "Really?!"

"Yeah…is that such a surprise?"

Tifa stepped back, crossing her arms. "Coming from you, Mr. I'll-do-it-later? Yeah."

Cloud sighed. "You know how busy things are…anyways, if things go well today, we may be finding our stay here…much less stressful."

Tifa frowned. "I'm not so sure about that…" Cloud turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "Reeve's been worried since the attack started…we're not exactly on friendly terms with them…what if they assume…"

"…You're right." Cloud sighed. "They could, but let's hope for the best. With any luck, things will turn out fine."

"…You've changed, ya know…"

"Hm?"

Tifa shook her head, smiling. "No, it's nothing." She leaned in and gave Cloud a quick peck on the lips, and ran off. "See ya! I'll tell Denzel you'll meet him later!"

Cloud stood there dumbstruck for a minute, trying to understand what she just said. "…Women." He sighed, picking up his phone, and dialing a new number. He raised it to his ear, and waited for the voice. "Reeve. Yeah, it's me. I've got a favor…yeah, that's it…just what I was thinking…"

**Break**

The tree burst into splinters as the deformed sand ninja shot right through. The top of the tree fell to the canopy, crashing past several branches until settling on two strong branches just above where Gaara landed. The Berserk Naruto landed on the fallen treetop, looking down at the recovering shinobi.

Gaara slowly got to his feet, and inhaled a great breath of air. As he inhaled, other mouths appeared on his body, each taking in a large gulp of air. He held it for a moment, before releasing '_Fuuton: Mugen Saijin Daitoppa!_' Gaara released the air, and with the sand that went with it, engulfed the area where Naruto once stood, chipping bark and scarring trees.

Gaara roared in triumph, having decimated the area.

"I suppose you think victory is yours."

Gaara turned around, but Naruto had already raised his sword high, bringing it down fast and swift. Gaara leapt to the side, fearing his safety if he parried, and landed on another tree just in time to watch the branch he'd been standing on shatter under the incredible force.

Naruto turned to Gaara, keeping his face blank, devoid of any thought, or any emotion. "Is this it? Is this all you can manage? This is the extent of your desire to kill me? I had thought you'd make a worthy opponent.

Gaara chuckled darkly for a moment, before breaking out in full-blown laughter. "HAHAHAHA!! Yes, this is it! If I can kill someone like you, someone this strong, I shall feel more alive than ever!"

Naruto stared at him blankly. "…I…I really want to kill you…so much, it hurts…"

Gaara growled. "You're different from before…WHAT ARE YOU?!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I will serve that…monstrosity…no longer! I will kill who I want to kill, when I want to kill them…and…I want to kill you…RIGHT NOW!!" Naruto leapt at Gaara, holding his sword high, and sliced downward as he fell, which Gaara just managed to avoid. The sword severed the branch in half, with power so great that the branch instantly charred from the heat of the cut.

Gaara crossed his giant claws over the rest of his deformed body and manipulated it, forming several small lumps on his arms. He quickly threw his claws out, releasing the lumps of sand, which took on very sharp qualities similar to throwing stars. "Suna Shuriken!"

Naruto raised his sword, and quickly waved it around, blocking every incoming lump of sand. The sand dispersed upon impact, scattering, falling like rain to the ground. Naruto used this as a veil, and used his powerful legs to leap to the side, circle around Gaara in under a second, and tap his blade on his shoulder.

"Come…your death will be slow…and painful." Naruto slowly forced the edge of his Buster Sword into Gaara's left shoulder. Gaara roared in pain, swinging his right arm around. Naruto, while keeping force with his right arm, reached into his right sleeve with his left arm, and reached up his shorter sleeve, where, strapped to his arm was a shuriken holster and a six-inch long combat knife with a blade an inch thick. It had a black handle, no guard, and a shining black blade. Naruto removed the blade from its holster and swung it out from his sleeve, slashing the incoming arm. He finished the slash and pulled back a bit, before plunging it straight into Gaara's arm, stopping the assault.

As Gaara cried in pain as the blade cut through the sand, even slicing his real arm. Naruto withdrew the blade and leapt back, holding his buster sword out as he wiped the knife on his jacket and re-sheathed the blade under his right sleeve.

Gaara turned to face him, covering his wounds with more sand. He leapt at him, which Naruto was all to happy to meet. As they rushed through the air, Gaara wound back his arm, while Naruto did the same with his sword. His right eye burned bloody red as he read Gaara's thoughts, and anticipated his move.

Gaara threw his arm early, and began spinning like a tornado in the air, with his claws and tail flailing. The Berserker waited for them to collide, and flipped in the air, tilting his body over the claws, and brought his foot down on Gaara, hard. The force of the blow knocked Gaara to the forest floor.

Gaara lay motionless in the small crater, watching as the Berserker smirked from above as he descended from above, readying his sword for the kill. Gaara closed his eyes, unable to comprehend losing. "This…can't be over…I will not…I WILL NOT LOSE TO THIS CHILD!!"

The sand surrounding Gaara seemed to explode, filling the surrounding area with sand as it continued to rise, and rise, and rise, taking a much larger form of his previous shape. The sand entwined around Naruto before he could react, engulfing him in the figure, drowning beneath the waves of sand.

The giant image of the sand spirit looked down at its right shoulder, where Naruto was trapped. '_I never imagined he'd push me this far…but it's ov-_' "AAUUUUUUUGH!" Gaara roared as what appeared to be a blade of fiery light sliced his shoulder off from the inside. The great arm fell to the forest below, crushing trees, creating a great hill of sand. Out from the shoulder joint, Naruto flew up into the sky, a wild smirk on his face. He landed on the shoulder blade and slashed downward to the side, taking out another long chunk over fifty feet long from the shoulder.

"Hmm…he's…stronger than I thought. No matter!" The Berserker, having lost his emotionless expression, grinned menacingly as the head turned to face him.

Naruto leapt up into the air, landing right on the eye, and stabbed, bringing out a howl of pain as the Shukaku form threw its arms up to its head to try and swipe him off. Naruto leapt off the eye, and grabbed onto a passing hand, using his mana to lightly maintain contact, yet swing around the giant claw at the same time. Naruto circled to the top of the hand, leapt into the air, and looked down at the form.

The Berserker dived head-first at the sand incarnation, creating a shell of mana at the tip of his sword. The tip formed into a shell of red mana as he descended. Gaara tried to raise his giant arms to defend, but was unable to make it as Naruto plunged right into his shoulder and out his hip, severing the giant in two in one enormous strike, red mana leaking out of the wounds as the two halves fell to the ground.

Naruto landed in the trees below, slowly turning around to observe his own handiwork. The two halves crashed into the trees below, the compacted sand bursting, flying though the air upon impact. The Berserker smirked at the sight, strapping his sword to his back once more.

"Good…one down…now for Sasuke…then Kakashi, Sakura, of course…and Cloud…especially Cloud…I'll kill them all…yes…all for you." He looked over to the area over a mile away, where Hotaka lay, and smirked. "But first…!!"

The Berserker whirled around when he heard the sound of slithering sand. Behind him, the sand rose into the air once more, slowly reshaping into the form of the Shukaku. "So…the host lives…well, not for long."

The Berserker drew his sword once more, watching the sand completely reform the lower half, and continue on to reforming the body above the waist.

The Berserker smirked, before feeling a sharp pain in his skull. He gripped the right side of his skull, covering his blood-red eye as his eyepatch covered the other. "No…no, what're you doing?!"

"_I will not…let you…control me!!"_

"No…you idiot! Stop it! It's my turn! Stop!" The Berserker roared. "No, no…NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

**Break**

Sasuke's eyes shot open as he sat up as quickly as he could.

_Whack!_ "Ow! Watch it!" Tenten shouted, rubbing her head, with Sasuke mimicking her motions.

"What was that?"

Tenten shook here head, "No idea. I've been hearing a lot since we left."

"How long's it been?"

"Twenty minutes…"

Sasuke scowled. "I have to get back…" Sasuke tried to sit up, but Tenten pushed him back, not letting him move.

"That mark…it looks pretty serious. What is it?"

"I'm fine!"

"No! Sit down!"

"That's an order!"

"You're delusional!"

"It's nothing!"

"Just stop!" Tenten ordered, pushing him back to the branch. "Let Hotaka and Naruto deal with it. Just rest for now."

"…They could die."

"We're in no position to help." Tenten sighed, pointing to her ankle.

"Urgh!" Sasuke slammed his fist into the branch. "…I'm…completely useless…" He muttered. "..Damnit!"

**Break**

The Third growled as he continued to tug on Orochimaru's soul in a desperate attempt to rip it out of his body. Orochimaru smirked, rebuffing his attempts to seal his soul by drawing his soul further into his body. Blood continued to pour out of his wound, and out of his mouth, dripping down his chin.

The Third's eyes hardened. '_I've come so far…and even after all this…I can't do it? I can't pull out the soul of this one man…when the fourth pulled out the soul of a demon? Have I really become…that weak?_'

Orochimaru smirked, reading the Third's mind once more. '_Heh…ten years ago, you may have succeeded. Yeah, ten years ago…you lost your chance!_' Orochimaru chuckled as the Third coughed up more blood. "Feeling well, Sarutobi-Sensei?"

**Break**

Naruto breathed deeply, barely grasping his sword as he held his head low. Gasping for air, he continued for over a minute while the Shukaku form completed reconstruction. Naruto calmed himself, and raised his head, his right eye a glowing, sky blue color once more.

'_I never thought it would happen again…but since the Jenova cells have been contained, that means…it isn't Jenova!_' Naruto looked up at the towering figure, and grimaced. '_I'll worry about that later…I'm back in control, and that's enough. But…_' Naruto twirled his sword around with his right hand, and raised it in a high guard. '_…even using my SOLDIER skills…this won't be easy._'

Naruto smirked, swinging his sword around once more, and strapped it to his back once more. '_Well, there is that. I suppose I could try it out…_' Naruto reached over to his left hand, and slowly, slipped off the black glove. Naruto raised the palm of his left hand to his face, and in his palm, held several markings covering his entire palm: more lines swirling around a symbol in the center: the upper half, part of the sun, and the lower half, a part of the moon.

Naruto gathered mana in his hand just as the giant Shukaku began to move. At first, the spirals around the symbol in the middle began to swirl, glowing blue as the mana began to reach the center. Finally, after gaining speed, the mana hit the center symbol, and the half sun above the moon began to shine. Naruto lowered his palm, and leapt into the air. As soon as he was above the tree-line, the mana shot out from the symbol, filling the entire area with blue mana. The mana began to take form as it descended, and crystallized, taking the form of a giant four-legged animals. After a few seconds, the mana solidified, growing brown as the form became more defined, until at last, a giant brown wolf with white fur underneath rivaling the Shukaku in size landed on the ground, crushing trees beneath its heavy paws. Naruto landed on the head in a kneeling position, raising his head triumphantly while looking at the Tanuki.

The great wolf raised its eyes as high as it could, trying to catch sight of the one on his head. "You…you are the one Shadow Runner spoke of, correct?"

Naruto smirked. "Yeah, that's me. Naruto Uzumaki, at your service."

The wolf growled, looking at the demon. "So…I suppose you want me to fight with you?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah…we gotta stop him!"

"…Why?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean 'why?'"

"What threat does he pose?"

"…It's a giant tanuki. Look at the crushed trees. DO THE MATH!!"

The wolf growled. "Did you just…insult me?"

Naruto cringed. "Ye-yeah? So what?"

"You should learn to respect your elders, brat."

Naruto growled. He looked from the wolf to Gaara, and repeated…and repeated once more. "…Fine, but elders are supposed to help out the brats, right?"

The wolf reasoned for a moment, growling. "…Shadow Runner has asked us to trust you…for now. Do not betray that trust."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah! So, you already know my name! What's yours?"

"…I am known as Windrider. Allow me to show you how I earned that name."

Naruto smirked. "Alright, let's do it!"

They turned to the demon, and Naruto flinched when he saw Gaara's upper body rise between the eyes of the sand tanuki. "Uzumaki Naruto…you never cease to amaze me…"

Gaara looked at him, his eyes completely blank. He closed his eyes, and formed a seal.

Windrider observed the scene, and frowned. "No…"

"What?"

"…My master and friend, the former chieftain, fought against that demon once. He told me everything…when the Shukaku's host enters sleep, the demon can fully take over, and for as long as their mind is not present to hold it at bay, it will unleash itself."

Naruto growled. "We have to stop it!"

"Too late…"

Gaara tensed for a moment, before going limp, his limbs hanging lazily on the head of the demon. The eyes of the Shukaku went from tan to gold, signifying the transference of conscience.

The Shukaku looked up at the sky, grinning with glee. "YEEEEAAAAAAAH! FREE!! I'M FINALLY FREE!!" The demon lowered its head, and caught sight of the brown wolf and Naruto. "OH YEAH! AND RIGHT OFF THE BAT, I FIND SOMEONE I WANNA KILL!!"

The Shukaku took a deep breath. "FUTON: RENKUDAN!!" The Shukaku made a fist out of a claw, and slammed it into his stomach, releasing the compressed airball. The ball zoomed at Naruto and Windrider, who leapt to the side to avoid the attack.

The Shukaku saw this, and fired three more airballs at them. Naruto cringed, but Windrider smirked, baring his giant teeth. "Hey, hey! Don't just stand there, dodge those!"

"…Brat, in the wolf clan, we are nameless until we earn our names. Let me show you how I earned mine…" the wolf gathered chakra in front of him, manipulating the wind, forming a cone-shaped shield of wind. He dashed forward, slicing through the very wind, at such speeds that the shield ripped the airballs to bits, and dashed right through the Shukaku, plowing straight through the arm.

Windrider turned around, with a very queasy Naruto on his head, inspecting the damage. "Ugh…humph!" Naruto covered his mouth, hoping to avoid throwing up.

"…You puke, you die."

"…I hate you."

"The feeling is mutual."

Windrider narrowed his eyes when he saw the Shukaku reform the giant claw. "…This won't end well at this rate…he can regenerate from our attacks, and that shield isn't exactly easy to make."

"Then how can we win?!"

Windrider flashed his fangs. "Smack the other brat awake. One good punch outta get him alert. Just slug him fight in the cheek."

Naruto smirked. "The good ol' rise and shine, huh?"

"Exactly!"

Naruto chuckled, rising to his feet once more. "Alright, let's do it!"

The wolf crouched, keeping its head low. "Fine then; let's hunt!"

Windrider ran forward again, this time without the wind shield. He wasn't as fast without it, but efficient nonetheless.

"HAHAHAHAHA! COMING BACK FOR MORE, EH?! ORDER UP!!" Came the cheesy lines of the Shukaku as he fired another airball.

Windrider leaped to the left to avoid the first, and noticing another flying at them, he spun around, using his tail to send trees flying into the air. The ball hit the tree and burst, scattering shards of wood and dust through the air, which gave Windrider the perfect smokescreen. Shukaku looked back and forth, not knowing where to aim. Finally, Windrider rushed out on his right. He fired another airball at the wolf, but the wolf leapt over it, and before the Shukaku could fire another, Windrider bit into his throat, keeping the chakra from escaping.

Naruto smirked. "Good work! Leave the rest to me!" He leapt off the tilted head of Windrider and climbed higher and higher, until at last he was above the giant tanuki head. He began to fall, right for Gaara. He flipped himself so he headed downward face-first, and raised his fist. He brought it back, and once within range, he threw it. "Wake the fuck up!!"

His fist his Gaara's right cheek hard, arching him as Naruto sailed by. Naruto landed behind Gaara, and slid down the nose, stopping just at the tip. Naruto looked up just in time to catch Gaara open his eyes. They twitched, flickered, but finally opened.

Truly, the Shukaku wasn't happy. "NO WAY!! I JUST CAME OUT!!" The golden eyes shook, before turning tan, and going still. The giant tanuki was now nothing more than a large sand statue.

Gaara looked around, not entirely sure what was going on, but stopped when he saw Naruto fifty feet away from him. His gaze hardened, and he regained his composure.

Naruto looked up at him, standing strong. He unsheathed his sword, and rushed at Gaara.

Gaara stared at him as he charged, clenching his fists. "I will not…I will not cease to exist!"

Naruto stopped, feeling sand begin to slither around his feet. He tried to trudge forward, but soon found himself completely disabled. Gaara smirked wildly in satisfaction.

"Uzumaki!" Windrider released the Tanuki's neck from his fangs and leaned down, jabbing his head upward into its chin in an attempt to knock Naruto free, but to no avail; the sand has a firm grip.

Naruto looked down at his feet, frowning. '_I'm running out of mana…fighting him isn't as easy as I thought it'd be…I even had to summon._' Naruto closed his eyes, focusing. '_Fine then…this is it. I'll give you everything I've got!_' Naruto closed his eyes, focusing his mana, drawing forth as much as he could.

"I'll kill you…I will not cease to exist!"

Gaara had the sand inch further and further up, reaching just below his waist, when Naruto opened his eyes. "Limit Break!!"

Mana burst through the sand as it surrounded Naruto in a blue aura. The mana was so hot that the sand below his feet turned red-hot, slowly turning to glass. Naruto's blood-red jacket flew from the force, and Naruto's eyepatch over his left eye shook violently from the mana flowing around it, until finally snapping, revealing not a glowing red eye, but a glowing deep blue one, filling the entire socket with glowing blue light. Naruto raised his right hand and drew his Buster Sword, holding it at his side. Gaara twitched, unsure of what to expect. "It's over, you big brute!"

"DIE!!"

Naruto leapt forward, diving past the rising sand as it came, reading Gaara's mind to anticipate the moves. He leapt to the right of one, cutting the spike in two, grabbed the half still in the air, and threw it at another in front of him. He leapt into the air, raising his sword for the kill, but just as he was about to reach him, several whips of sand restrained him just before he could strike. With his hand and sword restrained, Naruto used the power of the limit break to trudge through, managing to step right in front of Gaara. "God…damn you!!" Naruto threw his head forward, smashing his against his opponent's. Gaara's eyes went blank as he felt trickles of blood pour down from their foreheads.

The sand binding them in that position began to degrade, losing its hard shape and falling to the ground. Joining it was the entire body of the Tanuki, slowly cracking, from the forehead downward, until at last, the great sand beast began to unpack and slither to the ground for a second time, and there would be no third.

Naruto and Gaara began to fall as their support was lost. Naruto kept a firm grip on his sword, refusing to let go. Gaara, not in a fully human form once more, fell alongside him, awaiting impact.

Windrider watched them fall from above, smirking to himself. '_That kid…Shadow Runner was right, as usual. He's not like the ones from before…I wouldn't mind seeing this one at the top._' He gave a small frown, realizing his time was almost up. '_…Holding back that beast…took a lot out of me. I should've expected as much from the legendary Ichibi. I'll have a good tale to tell the can tonight…but for now, I need to rest._' He gave one last look at Naruto. '_I'll put in a good word for you, Naruto. Good work._' With that, he slowly turned blue once more, and broke apart, scattering to the winds.

Naruto and Gaara both crashed into the treetops, managing to kneel as the landed. Both were breathing heavily. Blood ran down both of their foreheads, much to Naruto's surprise. '_My armor's weak right now…it takes to long to re-supply it. Any real hits and I'm dead…_' Naruto deactivated his left eye and looked over at Gaara, and between breaths, managed to speak. "Hey…I'm running low…you too, right? One last punch…and that'll be it."

Gaara stared at him, still gasping for breath. Yet, both found the strength to stand. Naruto strapped his sword to his back, unable to bear the weight in his arms anymore.

Naruto looked over to where he last saw Hotaka. "The three of us…we're a lot alike…we'd probably have been friends under different circumstances…" Naruto hardened his glare, staring down the boy once more. "…But not now. In this war, only one can walk away the victor. And today, I will not lose!"

Naruto and Gaara both leapt into the air, winding their fists back for one final blow. Both were dirty, bloody, and tired, but both carried on, one fighting for the people he loved, and the other only for himself.

And when they met, the boy fighting only for himself, felt pain.

**Break**

Shikamaru sat in the forest close to the nine dead bodies, bloodied and tired, unsure of where to go. Help still hadn't arrived and he was beginning to worry. He sighed, looking up at the clouds. '_When I was a kid, I used to dream of being a hero. I thought it'd be easy…kill a few people I didn't know, rescue a princess, live happily ever after, yeah, that was the kind of hero I wanted to be._'

Shikamaru sighed, letting his head fall forward._ 'And then…I grew up, and I realized things like that could never happen. I guess I lost my motivation right there…and now, the one time I try to play the part, the dead last comes in and steals the spotlight…just like I imagined myself doing._' Shikamaru chuckled. '_Ah well…I gotta say, he played it pretty well for an idiot._'

Just then, he heard a branch break behind him. He quickly grabbed a kunai knife and ran behind a tree, waiting to see who came out.

From behind the tree, he could see two men in odd suits approaching. One had spiky hair with a long ponytail and looked far more laid back, and the other was bald with a goatee and sunglasses, and extremely well-dressed. They looked down at the dead bodies, and nodded to each other.

Shikamaru was about to use his kagemane jutsu, when he saw the bald man pull out a blue vial similar to the one Naruto had given him. "Special delivery!" The red-haired man shouted.

Shikamaru put away the kunai and walked out from behind the tree. "Yo, Naruto sent you guys?"

The bald man nodded. "Uzumaki was the one who requested us, yes." He held out the vial. "Here."

Shikamaru looked at it once more, before the red-haired man grabbed it and shoved it in his face. "Look kid, we ain't got much time. Hurry up so we can get back."

Shikamaru sighed, taking the vial, uncorking it, and downed it in one shot. Shikamaru corked the empty vial, giving it back, before suddenly feeling very warm. In an instant, he could feel his chakra restored. "Whoa…"

"Whoa, indeed. Now come on." The red-haired man spoke.

The bald man nodded. "We've been assigned to get you to a shelter. After that, we'll be leaving you." The bald man said, walking over to the man wrapped in Naruto's bloody cloak, removing it, and folding it up for travel.

"And no questions, got it?" The red-haired man told him. Shikamaru sighed, but nodded nonetheless.

"Fine, fine. Lead the way." Shikamaru sighed as the two began walking back to the village, with him in tow. "Sheesh! Why do I always attract the bossy ones?" He muttered.

"What was that?!" The red-haired man asked.

"Nothing." He sighed. '_Super-hearing, too? Man, I'm screwed!_'

**Break**

Shino sat fallen in the trees, unable to move. '_Am…am I going to die here?_'

Suddenly, he felt something new entering him. He tried to look, but cringed in pain.

"Don't move. I've injected some of my beetles inside you…they're removing the poison." Said a man in a white trench coat and sunglasses.

"…Father!"

**Break**

The Third buckled, finding it harder and harder to stand. "It seems…I lack the strength to fully remove your soul…"

Orochimaru grinned, his blood-red right eye still shining. "Then please, pass on, Sarutobi. Be my guest."

The Third bowed his head, gathering his wits. "But…before I die…I shall end your plans, here and now!" The glowing arms still had a firm grip on the arms of Orochimaru's soul, disabling any jutsu he could possibly use.

Orochimaru growled. "You think you can stop me?! You truly are mad!" The Third growled, attempting to pull Orochimaru's arms out just a little further… "Let me go!" Orochimaru howled. "You can't stop me! Just die already!"

The Third cringed in pain, faltering slightly. "I will not…allow you to destroy this village!"

Orochimaru laughed. "You truly think you have the power to stop me? Have you seen the village?! It's being destroyed even as we speak! Sand, Sound, Samurai, and even summonings are rampaging even as we speak! Every last one, down to the last women and child, will be slaughtered! Operation Destroy Konoha will succeed!"

The Third looked down for a moment, before rising, wearing a triumphant smirk. "You truly don't understand, do you? Do not underestimate our ninja's strength! We will never allow this village to fall! True power does not branch from ninjutsu alone! Long ago, I taught you that! A shinobi's true power only emerges when protecting what is most precious to them!"

Orochimaru scowled. "Spare me your useless lectures, old man!"

Sarutobi smirked. "Heh…perhaps I should…it's not as if I intend to forgive you…and now, though I may not take your entire soul to the next life…I shall take all your jutsu with me!"

"…NO!!"

Sarutobi used the last of his strength to tug the arms of Orochimaru's soul out as far as he could. With that, the shinigami raised the knife high, and thrust it down. Orochimaru watched with horror in his eyes as the knife cut through the blue arms of his soul, severing them from the rest.

"Seal!!" Sarutobi shouted as the same light engulfed his stomach, sealing the arms inside of himself forever. When it was done, the same seal could be seen on his stomach.

Orochimaru looked down at his arms, and watched as they went numb, turning a dead purple. "No…no!"

Sarutobi gasped, finding it harder and harder to stand. "Now…you have no more arms to weave signs…you have lost that which you held most precious! Your operation…shall fail!"

"Useless old man! Give me back my arms!!" Orochimaru roared.

Sarutobi smiled. "You fool, Orochimaru. It is a shame…that we cannot go together, but let us meet again…in the afterlife." The shinigami began to devour the soul of Sarutobi.

"HOW DARE YOU?! HOW DARE YOU TAKE MY JUTSU?!"

Sarutobi began to close his eyes, smiling one last time. With his last breath, he muttered "Where the young leaves dance, one shall find flame…the fire will bring life to the village…and the leaves shall bud once more."

Time seemed to slow as Sarutobi fell, the ghost of his last smile still on his face. He fell…and fell…and Orochimaru watched with burning hatred as the man fell, wishing to ring the man's neck one more time…but he couldn't…he couldn't even move his own arms…

With a soft thud, the body of the Third Hokage hit the ground, never getting back up. Enma walked over as the snakes disappeared, and gabbed Kusanagi. "You fought well, Sarutobi. The least I can do is remove this accursed blade…" He tugged the blade out slowly, so as to not damage the body any further. "It was truly a magnificent last stand…truly fitting for a shinobi." With that, he vanished in smoke, leaving his friend in peace.

Orochimaru looked at his arms, gritting his teeth. "Damn you…DAMN YOU OLD MAN!!"

"Orochimaru-Sama!" One of his servants shouted.

Orochimaru bowed his head. "Take down the shield…get me to Kabuto…and then…burn this village to the ground!"

"Yes sir!" The four shouted. The four disengaged the barrier, and rushed inside the forest to Orochimaru. The big one and the girl slung an arm around their shoulders and leapt up into the sky, making for the forest. The three ANBU followed, but the one with four arms formed some seals and spat out a spider web at them, trapping them on the rooftop below. Together, the five made their escape, while the troops continued to ravage the village below.

**Break**

Naruto and Gaara landed on the forest floor below, coughing up blood from the impact.

Gaara opened his eyes, feeling intense pain he'd never known before. He tilted his head to the side, and watched in amazement as Naruto got to one knee, buckled under it, and fell over. But Naruto never gave up, and tried again. First, to one knee, then pulling out his sword, he plunged it into the ground, and used it to support himself as he stood shakily to his feet.

Gaara watched in amazement as his bloody opponent stood. '_Why…why is he so strong?_' Gaara scowled. '_I…I will not cease to exist…I will not!_'

Naruto picked up his sword and stuck in the ground a little further out, and walked up to it. He did it again…and again…and again…and did not stop.

Gaara's eyes widened as he saw Naruto approaching him. For the first time in his life, he looked shocked, beaten, and afraid. "Don't come near me!"

Naruto grunted, and raised his head. Gaara stared when he saw the blonde's two crystal blue eyes glistening with tears. "That pain…that loneliness…it's no joke. I know how you feel. I've been there. I've lived it. I've been hated, shunned, and all alone before…" Gaara's eyed widened even further than before. "But…now, I've got people who are important to me…and who I'm important to…" Naruto staggered, but kept moving. "Even if you are just like me, I'll stop you, even if I have to kill you!"

Gaara stared, unable to comprehend this concept. "Why? Why do this for others? Why care?"

Naruto stood less than five feet away from Gaara, panting heavily as he put all his body weight on his sword, hanging on for dear life. "My loneliness…that hell…they gave me light…and that light…I never wanna live without it again. I love them."

Gaara's eyes softened when the memories of those words came rushing to his mind. '_Love…is that why you're so strong? Was it really your lifeline?_'

Hotaka leapt through the trees, landing next to Naruto. "…You did it." Naruto looked up, shocked to see him conscious. "I'm fine, and so are the others. They're on their way right now." He said smiling.

Naruto smiled. "Oh…yay…" He smiled, before passing out. He kept his grip on his sword, keeping himself from falling.

Hotaka looked up, sensing two other ninja land in front of Gaara. He grimaced; Temari and Kankuro…and he wasn't in any shape to fight!

"Stop…" Gaara muttered. The three turned their heads. "…No more fighting…"

Kankuro and Temari turned to each other, nodding. Kankuro was especially ready to leave. After the preliminaries, he didn't want to be within the same town as that guy!

"Y-yeah, sure, Gaara." Kankuro muttered, picking up his battered brother. '_I've never seen Gaara in such bad shape…_'

As Kankuro lifted his arm over his shoulder, Gaara kept to his own thoughts. '_Uzumaki Naruto…maybe someday…could I find that light, too?_'

As Kankuro adjusted Gaara to make sure he was safe, he heard Gaara whisper "Temari…Kankuro…I'm so sorry."

Kankuro and Temari looked at each other, shock filling their eyes. They gulped, not entirely knowing what to say. "Uh…yeah, no problem…" Kankuro finally breathed out, before the three of them took off into the trees.

Hotaka sighed, taking a deep breath. "Finally…" He muttered. He walked over to Naruto and set him down, with his back leaning against his sword.

Hotaka turned when he saw Sasuke land along with Tenten, who was standing on one leg. Fortunately, Sasuke had finally been able to suppress the seal. "You guys alright?"

They nodded. Sasuke looked over at Naruto. "He won?" He said in slight disbelief.

Hotaka nodded. "Yeah…but he's out of it…he used up all his chakra. We should get him home…"

Tenten nodded, agreeing. "Yeah…"

Sasuke helped Hotaka strap Naruto's sword to his back, and each wrapped one of Naruto's arms under their shoulders. Even with the sword's great weight, between the two of them, they managed to get into the trees with Tenten following behind on one leg.

"So…he really did it…" Tenten muttered.

"Yeah…hard to believe, huh?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "So…just why did you want us to leave so badly?"

"…You were injured."

"And the real reason?"

Hotaka sighed. "That's between Gaara, Naruto and I. Don't worry about it."

"…Fine."

--

"_I won…but for some reason, I wasn't truly happy…I had gone berserk again. It was still within me. I hadn't escaped. I decided that I wouldn't' run from it anymore; I knew what I had to do. I had to confront this thing, once and for all."_

--

The four of them stood outside the gates of the village, quickly planning their next move. Sasuke had his Sharingan active, checking for any enemy chakra signatures. "Nothing…we're clear."

"I can't sense anything either." Hotaka added.

"The closest entryway to the underground shelters should be a few blocks up. If we can make it, we should be able to get in."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Still…we've got to be careful. The enemy may know where the shelters are. Keep your eyes open." The other two nodded, and Hotaka joined Sasuke in picking up Naruto, who was still unconscious. They climbed up the wall and landed stealthily on the top, noticing the dead Konoha ninja just to their side. They chose to ignore him, and leaped down to the buildings below.

'_According to our training, the nearest shelter entrance is five blocks up this road. It'll be guarded, but we should be able to enter…_' Sasuke thought.

The three of them made it through four blocks with little trouble. Tenten seemed to find this odd. "This late into the fight, shouldn't more enemies be here by now?"

Hotaka shook his head. "I don't think so…it looks like this area is pretty devoid of anything significant. They'll be here later, I'm sure."

Tenten scowled. "If they find an entrance…"

"They won't. They're well hidden." Hotaka told her.

"…But if they do, there's no way the shelters will stay safe."

Hotaka growled. "Yeah…!!"

The three looked up, and saw a group of sound ninja above their heads, all descending, preparing for the kill. The Three Genin was about to pull out their kunai, when three arrows sailed through the air, killing the three with perfect shots through the head.

Arash landed a little ahead of the three, followed by Cloud. Both were still clad in their cloaks. They turned around, and greeted them. "Hello. I don't believe we've been formally introduced. I'm Cloud Strife, and this is my friend Arash. And that…" He pointed at Naruto… "…"

"He lost?" Arash questioned, sounding slightly surprised.

Tenten shook her head. "No…he beat Gaara. He just went a little overboard, that's all."

"What happened?" Cloud asked.

"Well, none of us really saw…Hotaka was unconscious, and we were away recovering."

"…This Gaara you were fighting…must have been strong."

Hotaka nodded. "Yeah…" Sasuke twitched.

Cloud walked over to them, and held out his arms. "I'll take him."

Sasuke and Hotaka looked at each other, and looked back at Cloud suspiciously. Finally, they agreed, and handed Naruto over to Cloud. Cloud slung Naruto over his shoulder. "Thanks. And your names are?"

"Tenten."

"Hotaka."

"…Sasuke."

Cloud bowed his head slightly. "Pleasure."

"…We should head for the shelters." Sasuke suggested.

Cloud nodded. "Lead the way."

The three shinobi led the way to a two-story building while the two SOLDIERs of Kyusokai followed. They walked into the alleyway behind the building, and into a small patch of grass. Sasuke walked to the center of the small field, and knelt down, feeling around for something. Finally, he found what he was looking for, and pulled a small piece of string in the ground. The string was made of steel, and as he pulled it back, a patch of grass large enough for one man to fit through rose upward. Sasuke leapt down, and was immediately met by a squad of ANBU.

"Name?"

"Uchiha Sasuke. I've returned with four of six members of my team and two guests. I found notes where we left the other two saying they've already returned."

The ANBU nodded, and withdrew their squad, each taking to a corner of a small room. The other five leapt down, with Naruto still on Cloud's shoulder, and the six left through a small door, and found themselves in a long hallway. Sasuke nodded to them, and the six of them ran down the hallway, which led all the way to the underside of the mountain. Considering that they started near the gates, and one had a broken ankle, it wasn't a very short trip.

After a long run down the dark hallway, the six of them found themselves at a winding stairway, which they climbed upwards. After climbing several flights, they found themselves on another floor, with more ANBU guards surrounding them.

Sasuke spoke for the group. "I'm looking for Hatake Kakashi. He's the head of one of the shelters. Where is his group located?"

"Shelter number C36." The captain announced.

Sasuke nodded, and continued through the door to the shelters. The shelter rooms were lined in grid format, with numbers A,B,C,D on top and 1,2,3,4 on the side. After a short walk through the dim hallways, they were outside shelter C36. Sasuke reached out, and opened the door.

"Yo!" Came the pleasant reply of Kakashi. Sasuke stared blankly, but shook it off and walked around him, followed by the others. "What? Not even a hello?"

The room dark, stuffy, and was filled with people, some cowering, some joking, others just sleeping in corners. Hotaka walked off to go look for his team, while Tenten stayed behind, knowing her teammates would spot her sooner or later with their 'youthful eyes'. Sakura saw Sasuke come in, and ran past all the other civilians to get over. "Sasuke-kun! You're alright!"

"…Hn."

"So, did you beat Gaara?"

Sasuke shifted his gaze, looking at the floor. "…No…it wasn't me…"

"Hotaka, then?"

"No…Naruto."

Sakura froze, looking over Sasuke's shoulder at Cloud, who was setting Naruto down against the wall, with his Buster Sword next to him. "He…he beat Gaara?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah…"

"Is…is he alright?"

"He's fine, just tired…"

"I'll go check on him!" Sakura said, running off.

Sasuke, stood there, alone. He cast his gaze down, and clenched his fists. '_Useless…I was so useless…and Naruto…he took down that freak all by himself!_' Sasuke grit his teeth, walking over to a wall, and hitting it with all the strength he could muster. '_Have I…improved at all?_'

Sakura ran over to Naruto, noticing how a few others had already noticed. "How is he?" She asked.

"He's fine. Just let him sleep." Cloud suggested. "Speaking of which…" Cloud slumped beside Naruto. "I could use a nap myself…"

Arash nodded in agreement, sitting beside Cloud. "Sound's nice…" In under ten seconds, the two had joined Naruto in dreamland.

Sakrua twitched. "…Lazy bastards…"

"Hmm…looks nice." Shikamaru commented, stepping beside her.

Tenten, standing beside Sakura, looked over, eyes widening. "Shikamaru! You're alright!"

Shikamaru sighed. "Yeah, I left a note."

"Still…when we got there, there were nine bodies. What happened?"

Shikamaru smirked. "Naruto arrived…and you can pretty much guess the rest."

Sakura cringed. "Wait…you mean he…"

Shikamaru nodded. "Yep. I was planning on asking that guy beside him what he did to him…but I'll ask later." Shikamaru yawned, taking a place next to the three Kyusokai on the wall and closing his eyes. "We're not going to be taking the offensive for a while it seems, so just relax. Get some sleep."

Sakura and Tenten sighed. "Lazy bastards." They said in unison.

"Still…" Tenten started. "I never thought of Shikamaru as the heroic type. To think, he really would've died back there for us…"

"Yeah…he did the same for us in the forest against the berserker."

Tenten sighed. "Well, I'm gonna go check on Neji. I'm guessing he's kicking himself over missing the mission. Bye."

"Alright. Bye." Sakura called as Tenten walked over to the other end of the hall. Sakura looked up at the ceiling ventilation, which gave her a small view of the sky. It was almost sunset…

Sakura sat against the wall next to Shikamaru, and watched as several other people began to go to sleep, while others remained on guard. "I guess…just a few minutes of shut-eye won't hurt…" Sakura muttered, eyes fluttering, before finally sealing shut.

**Break**

Naruto climbed staircase after staircase. Once again, he was trapped in his mind, and this time, he had only one mission: to kill.

Whatever it was that was inside him, he wanted it out, now!

Naruto climbed another stairway, and walked down yet another path. He had no idea where he was going, but he didn't stop. He'd been going on for hours, searching every nook and cranny that he could enter, no space was left unchecked. He opened every door, closing it in an instant if it wasn't what he wanted.

"Where are you…" he muttered, searching from door to door once more. He'd thought he'd gotten close a few times, but after checking everywhere from the lowest floor, where the furball was, and going as high as he was now, he still hadn't found anything. Now, he was walking down something that appeared to be a luxury hotel hallway, with golden plates on every door indicating a number. There were even fresh plants.

Suddenly, Naruto froze, hearing a voice. It was a mutter, but that tiny voice reflected off of every wall in the hall. Naruto quietly ducked into another hallway just to the side, and listened. "-no, no, he must die too. And same goes to for that mutt of his. Now, about that girl…I'll let her live. She never did anything. But that other guy…I don't like him. He's dead." Naruto heard the voice getting closer, and waited. "Now, that Hokage guy needs to die. Yeah, he's as good as dead. Same for that council. I got it! I'll light a bonfire around the council chamber while they're in session! Genius…" Naruto twitched, and heard the voice grow ever nearer, and waited. "Now, who to kill from that organization…all of them. Reeve, Yuffie, everyone. And Cloud, especially Clou-"

Naruto leapt out from the hallway as the voice reached the corner. He grabbed the thing by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Naruto smirked, looking the figure in the eye, but froze when he recognized that face.

It was…him.

The other Naruto looked at him, with a similar shock, and…joy? "It's you…it's you…" The other Naruto flung itself at the other, bringing him into a tight hug. "It's really you…it's really you, brother!" He clung to him with all his strength.

"Brother?" Naruto's eyes widened. He shoved the other being off of him, much to the other's confusion. "What do you mean 'brother?'"

The other Naruto blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"…You're the one who's been taking over my body…"

"What do you mean 'my body?'"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. The other being that looked like him seemed confused…maybe even panicked. "You're the one who nearly killed my friends!"

The other Naruto shrugged. "Friends? I never saw any of our friends…"

Naruto grabbed the other Naruto by the collar and slammed him against he wall again, shouting to his face "Shut the hell up, you bastard! They're my friends, and you nearly killed all of them! You even promised to kill them when you took over fighting Gaara! I heard you!!"

"Brother…I don't under-"

"Cut out that brother shit! What the fuck are you?!"

The berserker frowned. "…What happened to you, brother?" He raised his hands to Naruto's, and rubbed them. "…Why are you doing this? You're hurting me…"

Naruto growled, throwing him to the ground. "For the last time, what the fuck are you?!"

The other Naruto stood shakily, a tear sliding down his cheek. "Brother…I'm you." Naruto froze. "Don't you remember?"

"…What are you…"

The other Naruto placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders. "Brother, we are the same being. I am Naruto, you are Naruto, we are both Naruto."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wh-what do you…"

The other Naruto closed his right eye, and opened it in a flash, with his new eye glowing blood-red! "Kurogan, the eye of darkness!" He pointed to Naruto's left eye. "Now you."

Naruto flinched, not knowing what else to do. "…Higan, the eye of light!" Naruto closed his left eye, and when it opened, the same glowing deep blue eye as before emerged.

The other Naruto smiled. "We…are the same, yet we are so very different. You are light, and I am dark. Ying Yang, sun and moon, day and night, that is who we are."

"So…you're my evil side?"

"Dark side. Darkness is not evil. Similarities exist, but I am not evil, brother. I merely want what is best for us." He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around a surprised Naruto. "I love you, brother." He said softly.

Naruto froze, not knowing what to do. "So…why did you kill everyone whenever you came out?"

The other Naruto backed away, unsure of what to do. "I…I am so sorry. I was bound by that evil creature in our mind…the one called Jenova."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Jenova?!"

The other Naruto nodded sadly. "She came to me with a promise of freedom…up until then, I had been trapped, locked away for some unknown reason, for years. I wanted out, and Jenova promised me my freedom…but in exchange, I gave her my identity." He bowed to Naruto. "Forgive me…I didn't know. I didn't know that I was being deceived. I never wanted to create a reunion, I swear it…"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. '_So…I am light, and this is dark…which means…_' "…Just tell me this: who is it that you want to kill? What is it that you want?"

The other Naruto grinned darkly. "I want to kill everyone! Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, Hotaka, Gaara, everyone who ever brought us pain!" He stopped when he noticed Naruto's blank stare. "…Brother…is something wrong with our revenge?"

"…Revenge?" Naruto questioned.

Dark Naruto nodded. This time, his voice was calm, almost devoid of emotion. "Yes. After all these years of abuse, shouldn't we finally take our revenge on those pathetic beings?"

Naruto frowned. "But…those people were my friends…"

"They hurt us. They must die. I hate them."

Light Naruto twitched. "But I don't!"

"Why?" Dark Naruto asked as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "They hurt us, beat us, called us a monster. They deserve to suffer. Only now, when we are strong, do they wish for our allegiance. Before our return, no one ever cared about us."

"B-but…Iruka-sensei…"

Dark Naruto nodded. "He…is the exception. He is the only one I have ever tried to save, aside from you, of course, Brother. I wanted to help you that night…because even before then, when we were still weak, he cared about us, and nearly died for us…he is the only one I would've spared…but everyone else…must die."

"But they're my friends now! And besides, what about Cloud, Ero-sennin and the Hokage? There are people who care about us!"

"…Brother…can't you see they only want to use us?"

"Shut up you lying son of a bitch!" Light Naruto turned away, gathering his thoughts. He turned around after regaining his composure. "They saved me…they made me feel important…I would never…"

"…This village…Can you really continue to live here? Can you serve this land that hates you?"

Light Naruto raised an eyebrow. "…What are you getting at?"

Dark Naruto chuckled. "The Hokage title…the Buster Sword…are those really what you want?"

"Of course! I-"

"Have only been told what others wanted to hear…how the Hokage wanted us to grow, and protect the village that shunned us. Why? We were never treated as family. Cloud brings us to fight for a cause as vague as defending the planet. From what? We don't know. We're tools to them, brother."

"Liar!" Naruto roared.

Dark Naruto chuckled. When he spoke again, his voice was calm, collected, and promised pain. "Fine, think what you want, but I won't let them hurt us again. I'll kill them the next time I come out, brother. I'll kill them all! And then, you'll see, brother…you'll see just how right I was. They deserve death, even if you refuse to see it."

Naruto stepped back, shock stuck to his face. Naruto looked into that blood-red eye, while the other Naruto just stared back at him pleasantly. Any plans of murder he'd had before flew out the window. This being…it was him. Part of him that he'd kept hidden…his anger, his hatred…he couldn't kill him. He couldn't kill himself. What confused him even more was how his dark side seemed so…friendly with him. He…he needed to talk to Cloud first. He needed to get this sorted out. He just didn't know what to do. "…I'm leaving."

Dark Naruto sighed. "Fine. We'll meet again. And when we do…I pray you will be more reasonable. We share the same eyes, brother. We share the same life! Our interpretations may differ, but before the end, you'll see that I am right."

Naruto flipped him the bird. Dark Naruto chuckled. "I love you too, brother. I love you too."

'_I'm more than a tool…I know I am!_'

**Break**

Sasuke woke up as the sun shone through the vent, indicating that it was morning. Sasuke growled, standing up and dusting himself off. He looked around, and noticed that a few others were starting to wake up, as well.

"Morning, Sasuke!" Kakashi chirped.

Sasuke turned, clearly annoyed. "What is it?"

"Mission assessment." He stated simply.

"…Mission accomplished. I told you about it last night."

"Yes…but what about your teammate? I heard he got quite a bit of bladework in yesterday."

Sasuke twitched. "…Yeah…he killed the men pursuing us…and then single-handedly fought Gaara…and won. I didn't see it, but…even I couldn't beat him…"

Kakashi sighed. "I see…" He placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. You've got plenty of time to grow stronger. Remember that…"

Sasuke nodded absentmindedly. Kakashi sighed, and picked himself up. "Get prepared. The real battle's about to begin!"

Sasuke looked at him, wondering what he meant. "So…does that mean we're finally going to move out?"

Kakashi looked up through the vent, and up at the sky. "The ANBU told me something interesting last night…Orochimaru told the Hokage Konoha would never see another sunrise…but look…the sun is rising, and here we are. We are still alive, united, and the will of fire still burns within our hearts." Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "Today, as soon as we hear the signal, we the final battle begins. This village is our home…" Kakashi clasped his hands together, narrowing his visible eye. "We will show the enemy no mercy!"

Sasuke smirked. "…Hmph. Just another test. Can't wait."

Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "Within these shelters, the embers have gathered…and together, we shall ignite the fire once more. Before dusk, the enemy shall know the wrath of Konoha's true power: Operation Inferno!"

Next Time: A Fork In The Road

**Notes (IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT!!)**

Alright, I've been asked when the romance is going to start more and more often, so here's my answer: NOT WHEN THEY'RE TWELVE!! No, you'll have to wait until after the timeskip, which will happen relatively soon. It'll happen shortly into the timeskip, so no worries.

Also, along with that, I've decided that a single story would be too long, and I'm going to make this story a trilogy. There really are three parts to this story, anyways. Just letting you all know that. Stay on the alert! I'll let you all know when it happens!

I hope I kept the plot interesting. I'll go further into Light and Dark Naruto next time.

Thanks to CodeKyuubi for some of the translation help.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and to everyone who read my story. I've been finding almost impossible to write my other stories, and this one's the only one I have the will to, right now, so at the moment, this is it. I want to advance in this just a little further before I go back to the others. Sorry for fans of my other stories, but my hands refuse to write what my brain's thought up.

And while I'm on the topic of writing…27,000 words…53 pages…holy shit…if I'd known it would've been this long, I would've split it into two chapters…this is my longest yet! My hands have gone on strike…

And now, for the translations (I'm getting real tired of these…):

Kawara Shuriken-Roof Tile Shuriken

Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu-Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique

Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei-Summoning: Impure World Resurrection

Katon: Karyu Endan- Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile

Kuchiyose no Jutsu-Summoning Technique

Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu-Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (If you don't know this by now, hit yourself. Hard.)-Shadow Clone Technique

Shiki Fujin-Dead Demon Consuming Seal

Chidori-1000 Birds

Fuuton: Mugen Saijin Daitoppa-Wind Release: Infinite Sand Cloud Great Breakthroughs Suna Shuriken-Sand Shuriken

So, that's all for now. I'm gonna go fall on my face and stay there for twelve hours. Leave a review if you liked it, and thanks for reading!

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


	14. A Fork In The Road

The Paths We Walk

**--****The Paths We Walk****--**

A Fork in the Road

"_What am I? The question rang in my head, refusing me the peace I desired. Was I merely a tool to further the goals of others? Did anyone care about me beyond my power? Had it all been a lie? Sandaime…Ero-Sennin…Cloud…was I truly alone? Was it true…that no one loved me? I got little rest that night, as I wandered my mind, searching for anything to contradict what my dark side had told me. I found nothing to truly erase the though. Was all that joy truly an illusion? I always had been horrible at Genjutsu. I began to truly fear…fear that my dark side was right…fear that I was loved no more than Gaara…_"

**--With Naruto--**

Naruto's eyes flashed open, greeted with the sight of the very narrowed gaze of Kakashi. He was close…too close for comfort. Naruto began to notice he was leaning in…

Naruto leapt back in shock, slamming his own head into the wall. He gripped it in pain, muttering a small string of swears.

Kakashi smiled happily in his usual chipper manner, amused at the sight of his young friend. "Ah, awake at last, are you?"

Naruto looked up, glaring daggers at he man. "Ow…what were you doing?!"

Kakashi lazily pointed up to the ceiling vent, where sunlight shot through in a ray, illuminating a small strip of the room. "Sleepy-time's over. Time to rise and shine!"

Naruto sighed, staring down. The floor was clearly a light brown in color, having been carved out of the rocks at the founding of the village. The sector he was in was under the command of his Sensei, Kakashi. It was large, large enough to shelter over a hundred people, but only about fifty were harbored at the moment.

Naruto eyed Kakashi, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "So…what's up?" Naruto asked, yawning.

Kakashi just kept his charade up, acting happy as he pleasantly announced "War. We counterattack in an hour. Prepare yourself."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What?! Already? Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!" Naruto leapt up, pointing a finger straight at Kakashi.

Kakashi regained his bored expression, wondering where the sudden jolt of energy came from. He then remembered he was talking to Naruto, and concluded that some things are better left unanswered. He smiled again, standing up and patting Naruto's head. "Ah, good! Full of energy, as always. Eat up, and good luck!" Kakashi gave a lazy thumbs up, setting down a plate of food in front of him, before wandering off.

Naruto's gaze softened, staring at Kakashi's back as he walked away. '_…a tool, huh?_' Naruto looked down at his food, noticing that, once again, Kakashi was forcing him to eat vegetables. Naruto stared at the food, and decided to risk it. He extended a finger, and slowly forced it to the food. He drew nearer, but quickly pulled away, thinking that he saw it twitch.

"What are you doing, dumbass?" Sasuke muttered, walking over to Naruto with Sakura in tow. "Considering you're probably made of ramen, anything else may be poisonous, idiot."

Naruto looked up, growled, and raised the plate to his mouth, shoving every last vegetable down his throat, from cucumber slice to cauliflower, and even that demonic black pepper in the corner. Naruto chewed with all his might, but the phrase 'biting off more than you can chew' bubbled to the top of his mind when he felt something catch in his throat. He began to wiggle, pounding his chest in a desperate attempt to dislodge the evil vegetables.

Sasuke sighed, walking up to the idiot, and slapping him on the back. Naruto coughed hard, sending half-chewed vegetables all over the floor. It was by sheer luck that Naruto managed to retain most of the food, swallowing once more, giving Sasuke a death glare all the while.

Sakura walked up to them, carefully avoiding the unfortunate food. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun!" She smiled cutely, before turning to Naruto, looking slightly sour. "And you! Never do something that stupid again!"

"I think you're asking too much of him, Sakura." Sasuke scoffed. "He's terminally moronic."

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Shut up, bastard!"

"Idiot!"

"Asshole!"

"Dead-Last!"

"Copycat!"

"Wannabe!"

"Sasuke! Naruto!" Sasuke and Naruto, now literally face-to-face, turned quickly to meet Kakashi. "Ah, getting along as usual, I see? Like moose butting heads."

They glared at Kakashi for a moment longer, before returning to their little game.

"Emo-king!"

"Ramen-bitch!"

"Tattoo-freak!"

"Psychopath!"

"Fu-!!" Kakashi reappeared right behind Naruto, slapping his hand over his mouth.

Kakashi leaned in, putting his chin on Naruto's shoulder. "Now now, play nice! We wouldn't want to frighten the little ones, am I right?" Kakashi stood aside, giving the trio a view of the Konohamaru squad.

"Naruto!" Konohamaru ran over, followed closely by Udon and Moegi. The trio tackled their leader to the ground, staring at their leader with wide eyes full of excitement. "Boss! Good ta see ya! What's with the hair?"

"And the clothes?" Udon asked.

"And the eyes!" Moegi piped.

Naruto went blank, unable to answer the barrage of questions. "Uhh…hey guys. You alright?"

Konohamaru and his team nodded enthusiastically. "Yup! Iruka-Sensei took good care of us!"

"Iruka-sensei…is he around here?"

Udon shook his head. "He left…probably doing something boring."

Naruto sighed. "Hey…can you guys get off me?"

The three nodded, slowly removing themselves from Naruto's body. Naruto sat up, dusting himself off. "Great to see you, boss! We've been looking for you!"

Naruto's eyes widened curiously. "Oh? Why's that?"

"We need orders, sir!"

"Orders?"

The squad nodded their heads vigorously. "Yes sir! What can we do to help? Our teachers just keep telling us to sit down and stay quiet, but that's no fun! We want to defend the village too!"

Naruto crossed his arms, unsure of what to say. "You mean…fight?"

"Yeah!" Konohamaru pumped his arms, trying to show off. "You guys get to fight! We don't wanna just sit around anymore!"

Naruto's closed his eyes and tapped his chin. They didn't know how to fight. They had no idea what they were talking about. '_What can I say to them?_' Naruto asked himself.

Naruto looked up at them, and stared into their eyes. He searched for any doubt, and hesitation. He found none. '_Cloud…is this what you saw…when you looked at me?_' Naruto sighed, scratching the back of his head. He couldn't encourage them to actually fight. They were still in the academy. Naruto looked at them once more, smiling.

"You want to help? Very well. Stay put and defend the citizens." Needless to say, the three were very unhappy.

"What?!" They shouted. "We wanna fight!"

Naruto stood up and bopped each of them on the head. "You're young, and inexperienced. But…if the enemy does get this far…we'll need people to help defend those who cannot protect themselves." Naruto kneeled, meeting them on eye level. "Can I trust you to defend them?"

Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi's eyes widened, taking in what their boss just said. Then, the three saluted, smiling widely. "Right! We'll defend them all, no matter what! After this is over, let's play ninja again."

Naruto gave a small look of surprise, before quickly flashing his cheesy grin. "Yeah, definitely!"

"You can count on us, sir!" Moegi smiled.

"Come on! We've gotta prepare!" Konohamaru and his friends smiled at Naruto once more, before running out of the shelter, probably to find their sensei. Naruto smiled slightly as they went, leaning back against the wall. Turning his head to his side, he saw his sword, along with Cloud's and Arash's weapons. '_Guys…_' Naruto tilted his head against the wall, wondering what he'd say to them when he saw them again.

Meanwhile…

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino jumped on Sasuke, glomping him to the best of her abilities. Needless to say, Sasuke wasn't pleased. And Sakura…

Sakura shoved Ino off Sasuke, glaring at her. "You've got a lot of nerve Ino, you pig!"

Ino stood up, and met her glare. "Shut up, billboard brow! I've been waiting for _my_ Sasuke to come back forever! I was worried about him."

Choji, standing next to Shikamaru behind Ino, turned to his best friend while offering him a chip. "She didn't even notice you came back, did she?"

"Nope."

"Oh well, it could be worse. A glomp like that would probably kill someone like you."

"Ah geez…maybe Sasuke ain't got it so great…"

"Maybe…"

Shikamaru placed his hands behind his head, cocking it slightly to the left. "Ah well…a life like that wouldn't suit us at all. Way too troublesome."

"Yup." Choji commented before shoving a handful of chips into his mouth.

Sasuke sighed as his fangirls bickered over him. "I thought they were over this…"

"Geez, you get all the girls, don't ya?" Kiba commented, walking up to Sasuke's side with Shino and Hinata behind him. "What's with all the complaining."

Sasuke narrowed his gaze. "Like you know anything about girls, Kiba."

Kiba smirked, crossing his arms. "Oh yeah, well neither do you, by the looks of it. Surprising, considering the number of fangirls you have." He leaned closer to Sasuke, whispering in his ear. "Are you…straight like a rainbow?" Akamaru yipped on his head in agreement. Hinata blushed, covering her mouth, while Shino remained as unmoved as ever.

Sasuke stepped forward. "Like I'd ever lower myself to date a crazed fangirl."

"Heh…maybe I should tell your fangirls that."

"…Do as you please." Sasuke smirked. "But…what would they do to you…if you said that to their face?"

Kiba raised an eyebrow, but quickly froze when he imagined the fists of two very pissed off fangirls in denial coming straight for his face. "Good point…"

Sasuke smirked. "Heh…"

Naruto stood up and walked over. "Hey…what's with them?" He asked, pointing to Sakura and Ino, who were testing their catfight no jutsus.

Hotaka walked up to him, with bandages covering a wound on his left forearm. "Sasuke."

"Oh, again? I thought they were over that…"

Hotaka nodded. "They're almost as bad as you."

Naruto twitched. "Not funny…"

As everyone else began to talk, Hotaka looked over his shoulder upon hearing a dragging noise across the rock. He sighed upon meeting Yoko, who was almost unwillingly dragging Michiko across the floor by the back of her collar. "Hey, Hotaka. Hey Naruto."

"Five more minutes…" Michiko muttered.

Naruto turned to Hotaka, pointing at Michiko. "She's still asleep?"

"You're one to talk. You've been sleeping since the fight with Gaara."

Naruto grumbled. "I took on a giant tanuki. Sue me."

Yoko stepped aside and let go of Michiko's collar, giving the back of her head a 'friendly' meeting with the stone floor. "Yeowch!" She sat up, covering her head. Upon realizing what just happened, she glared at Yoko. "Not funny…"

"Schadenfreude." Yoko shrugged, walking up to Hotaka and Naruto. "So, how'd the mission go?"

Michiko stopped wining, eyes widening with realization. She quickly sat up and leapt in front of the two boys next to Yoko. "Oh yeah! How'd it go?" She asked.

Hotaka looked at Naruto, and shrugged. "Don't look at me. Ask him."

Yoko raised an eyebrow. "You beat Gaara?"

Naruto grinned, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah…pretty awesome, huh?"

Michiko nodded happily. "Looks like you weren't slouching around these past three months after all, huh?"

Naruto's face went blank. "And what gave you that idea?"

"Because you're an idiot." Yoko commented.

Naruto's grin twitched, glaring at Yoko. "Thanks. I feel so loved." His comment had so much sarcasm he was practically foaming.

"You should! We came all the way over just to check on you!" Michiko chirped.

"…Technically, you were dragged." Naruto commented.

"Shut it!" Michiko crossed her arms, looking away. "Honestly, why do I talk to you?"

"Cuz ya love me!" Naruto smirked.

Michiko grinned. "Wow, your illusion skills are better than I thought."

Naruto growled. "Oh yeah! I'll show you an illusion! Wanna see next week?!" Naruto flashed his fist, advancing.

"Bring it, you little brat!" Michiko growled, flashing her fist as well. Both were now so close that their foreheads were touching, daring the other to back down.

Yoko sighed. "Wrap up the newlywed fight, you two."

Both turned and glared at her. "Shut it!"

"Heh, I was beaten by this noisy twerp?" A cocky voice came from behind. Everyone turned to watch the approach of Team Gai. "So, the gang's all here, eh? Quite a reunion." Neji commented.

Sasuke smirked. "Well, look who's up and walking."

"I didn't beat you too bad, did I? Naruto taunted.

"Hmph. Next time I won't go down so easy."

"Are you talking…rematch?"

"Someday."

"Heh…I'll be waiting."

"I look forward to it."

Sasuke talked over to Team Gai, looking Tenten over. "The medics treat your ankle?"

Tenten nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"So…we're all fit?"

"Well…" Tenten muttered, glancing over at Lee, who was still on crutches. Lee looked down, clearly depressed over his condition. "…In time, I suppose…"

Sasuke nodded. "Fine. At least all on our team came back safely."

"Indeed." Shino commented, sneaking up behind them. Tenten went wide-eyed while Sasuke just turned around, cocking his head to the side.

"Stop that. You freak us out." Tenten grumbled.

"It seems to be what I'm best at. I try to use anything to my advantage."

"We can see that." Sasuke shrugged. "So, your father brought you back?" Shino nodded. "Good."

Hinata walked up behind Sasuke, twiddling her fingers together. "We're glad you're alright, Shino-kun…"

"My thanks for the concern. I'm glad to see you unharmed as well. The evacuation went as planned, I take it?"

Hinata lowered her gaze, staring at the floor. "Well…for the most part…but some of the civilians were killed in the crossfire. We couldn't save the bodies, so…"

Neji lowered his gaze. "I see…"

"How many?" Shikamaru asked.

"…Nearly a dozen were killed, all over that short time, and we've no idea how many were lost trying to reach these shelters. And they're still out there…"

"…The body count may be in the hundreds by now…" Sakura noted.

"…Operation Inferno begins soon…we need to prepare." Hotaka stated.

"How? Any ideas?" Ino asked.

Sasuke growled. He turned his gaze to Naruto, who appeared to be distant…he hadn't made any recent comments. '_Say something, you idiot!_' Sasuke's frown deepened when the idiot didn't react. After a minute of silence from the two of them, Sasuke spoke up.

"Oi, Naruto. This isn't your first battle, is it?" Sasuke stated. Naruto blinked, ending his train of thought.

"Ahh, whaddya mean, Sasuke?" Kiba asked.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "It wasn't me who beat Gaara…Naruto did. And before that, he killed four men in the arena, three more on the wall, and then the nine men trailing us, all without blinking! You know how to fight a real war…" Sasuke leaned forward, activating his sharingan. "…so tell us!"

Naruto hesitantly looked around. Several of the other Genin's eyes had turned to him. He gulped. This really wasn't his specialty. "Well…I really don't know ho-"

Sasuke stormed up to Naruto, grabbed his collar, and slammed him into the stone wall. Naruto gasped as he hit the wall, closing his eyes tightly. He slowly opened them, with his eyes going wide when he watched Sasuke glare at him with his sharingan fully active. The other genin watched, keeping back, fearing the Uchiha's wrath. "We know damn well this isn't a game! We've seen what's going on, and we know what's going to happen!" Sasuke pushed Naruto further against the wall, as if trying to crush him. Naruto cringed as he began to feel the pain. "We know we're going out there, and we're willing to face it!" Sasuke's fists began to shake as he lowered his gaze. "But…the truth is…none of us are ready for this. So…" Sasuke growled. "We need your help."

Sasuke let Naruto down, stepping back a few paces. Naruto caught himself as he hit the ground, staggering for a moment. He looked up, and saw that Sasuke was averting his gaze.

"…You really wanna know what it takes to fight?" Everyone nodded, some more hesitant than others. Naruto kept his voice low, calm and collected. "…Remember what they used to say in the academy? When in a fight, kill or be killed, fight to survive? Well…every word of what they said was right. That's what you need to do to fight a war."

Naruto hardened his eyes, looking at the group once more. "You wanna fight? You wanna kill? They teach you the first, but never the latter. Perhaps they wanted to preserve our innocence, but…now's not the time for that. However, it's very easy to learn."

Naruto pointed at the door. "Go to Ibiki. I'm sure he's done with some captured enemies by now. To learn to kill…go to him, and offer to dispose of one enemy apiece." Before anyone could voice their opinions, he raised his hand. "But don't just kill them. Take off their masks. Let them beg for mercy. Let them tell you their stories, and plead for forgiveness. Let them tell you of their newborn children…and then take it all away. Only by doing this will you truly understand what it means to kill."

"Are you crazy, Naruto?! Just what did that guy put into your head?!" Sakura shrieked.

"Nothing that I regret now having." Naruto shrugged. "If you wish to ignore my advice, feel free. But I warn you, it's better here then on the battlefield. Some will weep, and in that time, you will be killed. Others will hesitate, and you will see your target grin as he takes his opening and ends your life. This is what happens…in war."

Naruto smiled sadly. "Speaking of which, if you have any unfinished business, better finish it now, so that if you do die, you leave the world without regrets. I promise you, not everyone will come back alive today." Naruto nodded slightly. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Naruto walked towards the crowd of Genin, who seemed to part ways for him. However, he intentionally approached Lee, and shoved him slightly, shoving a small vial of glowing elixir into Lee's robe. "Drink it." Naruto whispered, before continuing on.

Naruto began to walk towards the door, and reached for the handle, but just as he reached it, he paused, speaking once more with his back to them. "Oh, I almost forgot. If any of you see my tall friend…tell him I want to see him. I need to have a word." With that, Naruto opened the door, walked through, and slammed it shut.

**--With Cloud & Kakashi--**

Cloud leaned back against the wall of a simple broom closet. His hood was down, revealing his glowing mako eyes and spiky blonde hair. He sighed, staring across the small room at Kakashi, who was gazing at him intently. "So, what is it?" Cloud asked.

Kakashi sighed. "Before I begin, I truly want to believe that you are a good man. You've taken excellent care of my pupil, that I cannot deny, nor do I harbor any ill will against you." Kakashi shifted his gaze to another wall, unable to meet Cloud's any longer. "But…I cannot say the same for your organization."

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Just what are you proposing?"

"…Please understand that this doesn't come from me, but from the rest of the village, including the head councilmen. I was merely chosen to relay the message."

"…What are you saying?"

"…The council…and the villagers…want you out. All of you." Kakashi lowered his gaze to the floor, as if ashamed of himself.

Cloud's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Although there is no proof…the timing is just too much for a mere coincidence, they say. That, with the level of secrecy you've kept, and the various shady activities surrounding your organization…we can't trust you."

Cloud growled. "We paid for that land! We've done nothing wrong!"

"And the land beneath it?"

Cloud gasped, lowering his eyes. "…How'd you know?"

"We're no fools. We patrol our village constantly; north, south, east, west, even the earth and sky. We see everything." Kakashi raised his head, steadying his gaze. "You've deceived us. For our betrayal, or our allegiance, we do not know…but…"

"…I suppose we did…"

"…If the Third hadn't died…things may have been different. He wanted to trust you, ya know?" Kakashi smiled slightly beneath his mask. "But…things don't always work out how we want."

Cloud sighed. "I guess so…"

"If any Konoha ninja see your forces wandering our village…we may be forced to eliminate them. Don't let us catch them."

"…Understood."

"…But I will trust you…for the Third…and for myself, I want to believe." He stood off the wall, and placed a hand on the door handle. But, before he opened it, he stopped. "There's only one problem…"

"…Naruto…" Cloud muttered.

"…Who will he go with?"

"…Should we let him decide?"

Kakashi sighed. "Either way…he will be a traitor."

"Well…let him decide his own path. We can no longer choose it for him." Kakashi nodded in agreement, before opening the door.

"It's been a pleasure, Strife-san."

"Indeed, Mr. Hatake."

"If we ever meet again, I hope it shall be under friendly terms."

"…It is shared."

Kakashi nodded, stepping outside. Cloud stayed behind, sighing as he reached for his phone on his belt. He flipped it out and dialed a familiar number. He raised it to his ear. "Reeve? Yes, it's Cloud. Look, I've got some bad news…"

**--With the Genin--**

Sasuke stared down at the man. His head was covered in a cloth, but he was clearly a sound shinobi by the rest of his uniform. Each Genin was staring at an identical sack, all lined up in a row. Ibiki walked behind them, gazing into their eyes as they stared down their victims. "I won't lie to you. This is perhaps the most difficult trial of a shinobi. Perhaps getting it over with now is for the best." Ibiki sighed, before walking out of the stone room, and leaving the Genin to their business.

Sasuke didn't bother looking at the others. Whether they did it or not was none of his business. He steadied himself, and raised his hand, grasping the bag, and threw it off.

Beneath the sack was a large man, possibly as large as Kakashi. He was probably in his late-twenties, and had short black hair tied in a bun. There were some fresh cuts along his face, and his right eye was bandaged. He snarled at the Uchiha. "Whaddya want, punk? You want me to spill the beans, too?!"

Sasuke scowled. This man was arrogant, and annoying. He decided to make this quick. He reached into his kunai pouch and drew his weapon. "Say goodnight!"

The man quickly grasped what was going to happen. "W-wait! You're going to kill me?!"

"What's it look like? This is war, after all."

"B…but you…I can't die!" The man shouted.

Sasuke glared. "And why not?"

"But I'm a prisoner!"

"That tried to kill innocent people."

"No! I can't die yet!"

"Why is that?" Sasuke was starting to get annoyed by all this.

"I…I promised my parents I'd become a great ninja, and bring honor to my family!" The man shouted. "Please don't kill me!"

Sasuke's eyes went emotionless as he raised the kunai. "Then I shall give you a ninja's death."

Sasuke stared at the man as his eyes widened. He raised the knife high, and let it rest in his palm for a moment. Just as Naruto has instructed, he'd looked the man in the eye, taken in his fear, and heard his story, but he felt nothing. He still felt that killing was no big deal. Perhaps it was because he'd seen his entire family slaughtered for three days, but he felt nothing for the man as he brought the knife down, into his beating heart. The man froze, his mouth dropping, and in moments the life left his eyes. He fell to the ground on his side, blood painting the ground red.

Sasuke slashed the knife to the side, ridding it of the man's blood. He placed it back in his holster, and smirked. He'd done it. He'd killed, and it wasn't nearly as hard as Naruto had said it was. '_Besides, if he can kill his own kin, I must be willing to do the same. A man such as that…is nothing._' Sasuke stood and walked out of the room, back to their shelter.

However, the other Genin, staring as Sasuke so easily killed his victim, found the task much more difficult than their prodigious comrade.

**--With Cloud--**

Cloud had just finished making the necessary calls, and was now walking down the halls back to the shelter where Naruto was. Arash had long since left to scout out possible locations to ambush enemies, but Cloud's call had changed all that. The few agents of the W.R.O. outside of base were stealthily heading back.

Cloud turned a corner and walked down another hall, noting the markings above the various wooden doors. Upon sighting the one under Kakashi's command, he entered.

Cloud looked around for a moment, but quickly noted that although dozens of people occupied this shelter, not one of them was Naruto. He looked against the wall once more, and noticed that although Arash's equipment was now gone, Naruto's still remained.

He stopped his inspection upon sensing the glances of one of the Genin. He turned his gaze and locked eyes with Sasuke Uchiha. He kept up the staring game for a minute, before turning to the rest of the Genin. '_Alright, so here we have Sasuke Uchiha, Neji Hyuuga, Hotaka Sasaki, Shino Aburame, Shikamaru Naru, and one I have no name for._' Cloud concluded.

"Excuse me, I don't suppose you know where Naruto Uzumaki has gone?" He asked.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "No, but he asked us to tell you he wanted a word."

Cloud nodded. "You have my thanks." Cloud muttered, turning to leave.

As he left, the girl Cloud left unnamed leaned over to Hotaka. "See? What'd I tell ya! Long-lost older brother! They're practically clones!"

Hotaka sighed, smacking her across the back of the head. "Just stop, Michiko."

Michiko grumbled, rubbing the back of her head.

Cloud picked up his sword, but as he strapped it to his back, he noticed Naruto's Buster Sword. Cloud stared at it for a moment, narrowing his eyes. Naruto loved that sword. He wouldn't just leave it behind…

Cloud shook it off and decided to take it with him. Carrying it across his shoulder, he turned to leave. However, he stopped, taking note of how Sasuke had positioned himself right between himself and the exit. "You wish to speak with me?"

Sasuke nodded. "Just how did he get so strong?"

Cloud sighed. "A great master makes a great student. Is that all?"

"…Why him?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes, glaring at Sasuke. "…Is that any of your business?"

Sasuke growled. "Nevermind…how can I receive this training?"

Cloud lowered his gaze, steadily walking towards the Uchiha. Sasuke didn't move, holding his ground. Cloud kept his pace, his feet hitting the hard stone floor, echoing across the room. Even amongst the chatter of the other occupants, those two kept all their focus on the other.

Cloud halted his pace when he was less than a foot away from the boy. Sasuke stared up at him, expecting an answer. "How can I gain that power?"

Cloud initially made no other answer than to step to the side, walk past Sasuke, and towards the door. Sasuke turned around, preparing to ask again, but Cloud had stopped moving, keeping his back to Sasuke.

"…When I began searching for people to train, I knew I wanted to keep our numbers small. I would choose only those that met a specific set of guidelines." Cloud looked over his shoulder, staring at Sasuke. "You, Sasuke Uchiha, are truly a fit warrior…just not proper for SOLDIER." Cloud turned around, and walked towards the door. "Others may one day come with the same teachings as I, but I shall not train you."

Sasuke grinded his teeth, clenching his fists. "And that dobe…he met them all?!"

Cloud turned the handle, letting the door slide open just enough for him to leave. "…Yes." Looking over his shoulder, he stared at him on last time. "Tell me…is copying all you can do, Uchiha?" He slipped through, and closed the door.

**--With Naruto--**

Naruto sat on the head of the Fourth Hokage, overlooking the Leaf Village. Many buildings along the edge had been destroyed, and several others were in flames in various locations. Diluted smoke rose through the air, turning the air a gloomy color. The wind was blowing, ruffling Naruto's blonde hair and sending his black bangs into his eyes. Naruto's eyes were glazed over, once again lost in thought at the words of his other half.

Naruto raised his gaze when he noticed two sound ninja leap up in front of him. The first one to come down raised his kunai to stab him, but Naruto leapt up, grabbed his arm, and quickly flung him around, sending him crashing into his comrade moments before he landed, and sent them both falling to their deaths in the village below.

Naruto stared down for a moment, before falling to his knees. '_Is this really all I'm good for?_'

"I had a feeling I'd find you here." Cloud muttered, landing right next to Naruto.

Naruto turned, but was unable to meet his eyes. "Hey." He muttered. Cloud noticed the meager greeting, but chose to let it go for the time.

Naruto scooted over a bit, giving Cloud room on the head. Cloud sat down on Naruto's right, setting his own sword to his right while putting the Buster Sword between them. "Something's wrong, I take it? It's not often you travel without your sword."

Naruto wrapped his arms around his knees, lowering his gaze. "Mmm."

Cloud raised an eyebrow, but once again said nothing of it.

"…It's quiet." Naruto muttered.

"It's the calm before the storm." Cloud looked down at the village, watching as another building in the distance collapsed in an inferno. "Konoha will make its move soon."

"…And what about the W.R.O?" Naruto asked.

"…We won't be fighting."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I guessed that much, but what about you and Arash? What're you going to do?"

"…Naruto…" Cloud sighed, closing his eyes. "…The Third Hokage has fallen." Naruto's eyes shot open, spinning to meet Cloud's, but Cloud wasn't looking at him. "Orochimaru killed him, on top of the arena booths. At the least, it seems he managed to incapacitate Orochimaru for the time."

Naruto lowered his eyes, looking past Cloud to the face of the Third next to them. "Old man…why?"

"It seems he was Orochimaru's teacher."

Naruto's face registered this new information with shock, before twitching, turning to anger. He formed a fist, and slammed it down on top of the fourth's head. "That bastard…how could he?!"

"…He probably thought…it had to be done."

"What?! Are you defending him?!"

"No. Never, but I think that in Orochimaru's mind, he needed to kill him."

"…What?"

"One must be willing to do whatever needs to be done, no matter what others believe." Cloud stated. "He knew that, and he did what he thought must be done. We wanted to save him, but were unable to do what we thought had to be done. In the end, Orochimaru got his way, but paid a heavy price."

"…I see…"

Cloud sighed. "For now, let's forget about this. He is gone, and nothing will change that."

"Yeah…I know, but…"

"…I've lost people I've loved, too. I know how it feels."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, Zack and Aerith, right?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, and it took me forever to get over them. But one day, I realized that the more I mourned, the more I hurt those around me. Even if I couldn't save them, they knew I cared, and returned those feelings. No one wanted me to suffer for their deaths, or those of others." He turned to Naruto, patting him on the shoulder. "And…he doesn't want you to feel that way, either."

Naruto nodded slowly. "Yeah…you're right." Naruto looked up, staring into Cloud's eyes for the first time that day. "But…I just wanted to know if you were going to fight. Why did you bring up the old man?"

Cloud looked at him, frowning. "Naruto…the Third was the last one allowing the W.R.O. to stay." Naruto's eyes slowly widened in realization. "We'll be gone by tomorrow, the base and all."

Naruto gaped, unable to believe it. "B-bu…why?!"

"They note the timeline of events. We, an untrustworthy organization arrive our of nowhere just before the attack. Of course we should have expected this." Cloud sighed, tapping his fingers on the rock. "We're making preparations to leave by nightfall."

Naruto looked away, unable to form what he wanted to stay. "And, uh…what, I mean…"

"What's going to happen to you?" Naruto nodded absentmindedly, still finding himself unable to form proper sentences. "I talked it over with Kakashi. The choice is yours."

Naruto bowed his head, taking everything in. "I know it's a lot, but you've got to make a decision soon. I need to know if you're going to stay or go."

Naruto bit his lip, trying to think. He knew he wanted to go with both, but it seemed impossible now. '_One or the other…but which one?_' He thought to himself. '_…First, before anything, I need to know…_' Naruto raised his head.

"Cloud…I met the berserker yesterday."

Cloud turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "You what?"

"…The berserker…is like a darker version of myself." Naruto stated. "I suppose he's my dark side." He looked up at Cloud. "…Did you know?"

Cloud slowly shook his head. "No…I thought it was the Jenova cells…"

"…I think it was. He told me he used them to get out, but then they used him in an attempt to create a reunion. I think that's what he meant by 'finding the others.'"

"…That makes a lot of sense. You always were too nice." Naruto looked confusedly at Cloud in response. "…The villagers here never treated you with respect, and as a child, you hated them, didn't you?" Naruto nodded dumbly, not sure where he was going with this. "Then, one day, you start wanting to get along with them, become their leader and live with them happily ever after. There's only one thing that makes sense: you locked your darker side away."

"I…locked him away?"

Cloud nodded. "Yes…I believe you would have sealed away your dark desires to block out the pain. Without darkness and those desires of revenge, you were happy, if ignorant, and began to see more good in the world. Then, one day, the cells in your body freed your dark side, and when you lost control of your body in unconsciousness, he took over under Jenova's control. Later, when the cells were bound under your control, he was freed of their influence. At least, that's how it seems."

Naruto looked down at his right arm, where the Geostigma had once run rampant. "He said…he loved me."

"Of course…both of you possess one of the meiangan, one light and one dark. You are one in the same. He is you, and he will love you, and will do anything to protect you and your happiness."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists. "But…he wanted to kill everyone I knew…everyone I cared about…even you." Naruto looked up, unsure of what to expect.

Cloud remained mute for a moment, not even moving, Naruto was unsure of what to do. It was technically him who wanted him dead…what should he do?

Finally, Cloud's lips began to move. "…Darkness, while not necessarily evil, is selfish. Your dark side sees that others have caused you pain, and wants to end it. He doesn't want to hurt ever again. In doing so, he feels that he'll save you the pain as well."

"But then we'll be all alone! What good will that do us?"

"…Naruto, he thinks that's all you need." Cloud stated. "Don't forget, you did the same to him."

"But I…"

"You sealed him away in your mind, for years. All he could do was watch as you ran the show. So…what you were doing is no different."

Naruto shook his head. "But I didn't kill anyone. My way was peaceful…and now I have friends. I can't regret that choice."

Cloud sighed. "This matter…is up to you. I can't tell you what to do. You have to make your own choices, and deal with the consequences."

Naruto smirked, nodding. "You're right…I do. I'll think on that."

Silence passed, with each trying to come up with something to say. "So…" Naruto began. "How's Tifa?"

"She's good. She wants to get to know you better."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You are the newest member to our little group, after all."

"Yeah…"

"…You're stalling."

Naruto gripped his left fist that Cloud couldn't see. "What do you mean?" He asked innocently.

"Where will you stay?"

Naruto hung his head. It seemed he'd stalled all he could. He'd have to ask his last question. "…Cloud, one more question."

"Fine."

"What am I to you?"

"…?" Cloud gave Naruto a confused look. "I don't follow…"

"…Am I a tool to you?"

"…What?"

"Am I a weapon to you, or what?" Naruto asked, meeting his eyes fiercely. "I have to know."

"Naruto…"

Naruto looked down at the village, specifically at the Hokage's tower. "I learned a long time ago that a Shinobi is a tool of their nation and leader, to be used however they see fit." Naruto sharpened his gaze. "Now, what am I to you?"

Cloud lowered his head, unable to answer immediately. "I…" He tried to think of what to say, but found himself silent for over a minute. "…Did I use you? I can't deny that." Naruto's eyes dropped. "However, that doesn't mean I didn't consider you a friend."

Naruto looked up sadly, trying to understand. "I am the leader of Kyusokai. I have to use others, no matter what. Yes, I used you and had us fight, but before you forget, we have been used by you as well." Cloud pointed his finger at Naruto's arm. "The Geostigma, the training, and the healings. In that way, you are guilty of the same crime."

"…" Naruto thought about that for a moment.

"_You can still turn back…"_ Naruto's eyes widened as Cloud's voice rang in his head. Naruto smiled slightly, understanding the words Cloud has muttered such a long time ago.

Naruto stood up on the Hokage's head, looking off to the horizon. "…When I was in the hospital, learning everything on that Datapad, I took a special liking to the quotes." Naruto muttered. "Everything they said was so obvious…and made so much sense. I began to memorize them; I could say over a hundred right now…"

Naruto walked to the tip of the head, standing on one of the spikes. "But then I realized…quotes weren't my thing." Naruto smiled sadly, while Cloud stared at his back. "Quotes, are what other people believe. They are what others follow and live for…but not me. If I do nothing but live by others quotes, what others believe in, then I'll really just be their servant, won't I? But…I want to be my own messenger, and make my own quotes for others to read and enjoy."

Naruto turned around, looking Cloud in the eye. "And that's why…I won't stay with Konoha, or with the W.R.O. I will follow my own path, and find what is truly worth fighting for."

Cloud didn't gasp at Naruto's words, nor did he flinch. He had known this might happen. He'd _seen_ that it could happen. Slowly, he stood up, and picked up his sword, strapping it to his back. He grabbed the Buster Sword, and keeping his eyes on Naruto, he slowly began to approach.

Naruto watched as Cloud slowly marched towards where he was standing on the edge of the statue. The sound of destruction below was drowned out as the only thing filling the air was the pat of Cloud's feet against the stone. Cloud gripped the Buster Sword's hilt tightly, feeling it tremble in his grasp, as if trying to break free.

Cloud stopped a few feet away from Naruto and held out the sword, keeping the blade to the sky. Naruto looked at it skeptically, unsure whether or not to reach out and take it. "Cloud…I'm not fighting with you anymore…"

Cloud nodded. "I know…but this is my gift to you. Just as Arash gave you that handgun, I give you this. Your loyalty was never apart of this."

Naruto looked from Cloud to the handle of the sword, and slowly, hearing his words, raised his right arm. Grasping the hilt just below where Cloud held it, Cloud let go, allowing Naruto to fully bear the weight. Naruto brought the sword back, bringing it to his face, wrapping his other hand around the hilt. Naruto stared at his dull reflection in the grey steel, tapping his head to it. "Cloud…thank you."

Cloud narrowed his eyes, and nodded. "And now…" Cloud muttered, gripping the handle of the First Tsurugi.

Naruto's eyes widened as his senses flared once more. On instinct, he bent his knees and leapt far to the side, narrowly avoiding the falling sword. Naruto landed on the head of the Third Hokage, expecting to meet an enemy Ninja, but only widened his eyes in shock, and complete disbelief. The ground where he'd just been standing was now a small crater.

All done by a single stroke of Cloud's sword.

Cloud raised his sword from the ground and looked over at Naruto, narrowing his eyes, filling them with determination, and perhaps a small bit of hatred. "Defend yourself!" He roared.

Naruto stepped back, unable to believe Cloud just attacked him. "Cl-Cloud, what the hell was that for?!"

Cloud raised his sword in his battle stance, with the tip rising ever so slightly, right at Naruto. "The path of freedom…is one walked by traitors." Naruto's eyes shook, not wanting to believe what was happening. "I told you before we started training, you could still go back…now, if you want out, then we must fight!"

"Cloud…wait…stop this, no!"

"Naruto…raise your sword. This time…is not for training. This time…" Cloud kneeled, before leaping into the air, straight at Naruto. "…I won't be holding back!"

**--With The Genin--**

Hotaka gasped, looking up at the ceiling of the shelter.

"Hotaka?" Sakura questioned, watching him stare intently at the rocky covering.

"…It's Naruto and his teacher…they're fighting."

Michiko's eyes widened. "Really? Can you tell who they're fighting?"

Hotaka shook his head. "No…I can't sense anything else…their opponents must be really weak. They can handle it."

Sakura sighed. "I'm glad. I was worried for a moment."

Sasuke scowled. "What about us?"

Kakashi popped up behind Sasuke, giving his trademark grin. "Time to go!" He chirped.

Yoko glared at him, ignoring the shouts of Sakura and Michiko demanding he stop the sneaking before one of them throws a kunai on reflex. "So it's beginning?"

"What is?" Hotaka asked.

"Operation: Inferno." Kakashi stated. "We shinobi shall spread throughout this village like flames across grass, burning everything, and everyone we meet along the way. It's also known as the purging of the great tree." Kakashi narrowed his gaze, forming a tight fist. "Every enemy we meet…is a dead man!"

Sakura sighed, looking at the floor. "War…could this break out in a war?"

"Most likely. We may be facing a fourth great shinobi war."

Hotaka clenched his fists, bowing his head on his hands. "No…"

"It can't be…" Michiko gasped.

"Quiet!" Kakashi roared, effectively silencing the five genin. Kakashi took a quick glance around the shelter. All civilians had been moved to shelters further back and he'd just reported how many of the shinobi assigned to his shelter were present. Two were missing, meaning they were either dead or unable to reach the shelter. He'd informed the other five teams in the shelter of their assignments, and now only his and Ryuunosuke's remained. Gai, Asuma and Kurenai were all in charge of their own shelters, so their students had gone with them.

Turning back to the genin, he gave them a stern look. "I understand that you killed a prisoner each after the interrogations ended, is that correct?"

Sasuke nodded. "Killing isn't as hard as it's made out to be."

Sakura bowed her head, closing her eyes. "Please don't say that, Sasuke-kun…"

"…Hm."

Kakashi sighed, tapping his fingers in a line along his leg. "Our two teams will be moving out together. Anyone know where Naruto is?"

"He's fighting outside with that blonde guy. That's all I can sense. Their opponents must be weak." Hotaka muttered.

Kakashi glanced upward, as if trying to see through the rocks, but without the Byakugan, such a thing was impossible. "I see…then we'll try to meet up with him later."

"We? As in us?" Yoko asked.

"So we're working together?" Michiko raised an eyebrow.

Ryuunosuke stepped up behind his students, grinning while crossing his arms. "Yes. You worked well in the Forest of Death, and that's exactly what we need. Kakashi will be the team leader, and I'm second in command."

"Our objective?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi smirked, laying down a map of the leaf village. "We'll be heading to the academy. Several important records are kept there, and need to be kept out of enemy hands. We'll rendezvous with two more teams at that location, and we'll clear the academy of any enemy ninja, and lock down all records. Then, two teams will stay behind to guard the academy, while the other two leave to assist in the main defense. Understood?"

Everyone nodded. "So, when do we leave?"

Kakashi stood up, and walked over to a spot five feet behind the group. He kneeled, and ran his hand along the floor. He circled it, feeling it over for something, before stopping, and hooked his finger around a hidden latch. He lifted it up, pulling with it a hidden door with a ladder leading down into the mountain. "We'll be taking the express route. We leave now."

Sakura gasped. "Now?! It's time already?!"

Michiko growled, clenching her trembling fists. "Real war…I think I'm…"

"We're all afraid." Yoko muttered, bowing her head. "But, I guess…we'll just have to be brave, and have faith that we'll come out alive."

"But…what if we don't? We don't know what's going to happen." Hotaka leaned his forehead on his fists, trembling slightly as memories of the past swept through his mind. The past, before Ryuunosuke, before Konoha.

"…Hmph." Sasuke growled, standing up. "Let's go." He stated, walking over to Kakashi.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura exclaimed.

Sasuke looked at them over his shoulder, his back still turned to them, before turning back to Kakashi, and climbing down the ladder, into the hole.

Kakashi turned to the rest of the Genin, sighing. "All of you…are still children. You've still got a lot to learn before you can be called adults. But Sasuke understands something that none of you have yet to grasp." Kakashi calmed his gaze, looking into their eyes. "What must be done…must be done." Kakashi walked over to the trap door, and stepped onto the ladder. "Let's go." Kakashi ordered, climbing down the ladder, followed by Ryuunosuke.

The Genin turned to each other, slowly debating who would make the first step. Nodding as a group, the four stood at once, and walked in sync to the ladder, and one by one, descended into darkness.

**--With Cloud & Naruto--**

Naruto stood inverted inside the left nostril of the Third Hokage. Looking down, he could see the flames of the battle below. Smoke rose into the nose, making it harder to breathe.

'_This…this is…unbelievable!_' Naruto thought.

Naruto quickly ended his train of thought as he turned to his left, leaning back just as the First Tsurugi plunged through he rock. He stared at the reflection of his eyes in the sword for a moment, not even an inch away from his nose, before grabbing the opening of the nose and swinging into the next nostril, but Cloud slid down the nose, flipped over the gap, and stabbed straight into the nostril, but Naruto pressed himself inside the nostril, before dropping, and swinging once more onto the side of the nose, leaping on top of the bridge of the nose. Cloud threw himself up, cutting right through to the top of the nose, landing right in front of Naruto.

Cloud swung down, but Naruto raised his own sword, blocking Cloud's strike. Cloud kept pressure on Naruto's sword, before removing the sword attached to the right side of the main blade, and stabbing forward. Naruto knocked the first Tsurugi off and knocked the other sword away, before leaping back onto the head of the Second.

Naruto looked up at Cloud, standing so high above him on the Third's head. "Naruto…this is insulting." Cloud strapped the secondary sword behind his back, and released the sword on the other side of the main blade. "In these past ten minutes, you still hesitate to strike…pathetic!"

"Cloud…"

"You say one thing, and do another. Never any dedication, I see. You fight as if your freedom means nothing!"

Cloud twirled his swords over his head for a moment, creating a small gust around him. He leapt high into the air over to the Second's head and raised his swords. "Limit break: Meteorain!" Cloud slashed forward, six powerful flaming meteors appearing at their tips, straight at Naruto.

Naruto watched them come as time itself seemed to slow down. Those words gripped him, freezing his very soul. '_My freedom? Is that what's this fight is about? Then…does that mean he's trying to take it from me?!_' Naruto tightened his grip on his sword. '_Am I just a slave to you?!_'

Naruto raised his sword to his face, looking at his reflection in the dull steel. He watched as his eyes burned with anger, his gaze narrowed, the wind sending his unkept hair into a frenzy. His mouth was tight and stern. Naruto hardened his gaze even further, to a level he'd never before reached, slowly mirroring Sasuke. For once in his life, he looked determined, perhaps even terrifying.

Naruto turned the blade and faced the onslaught of meteors. He lowered his blade to his side, and cut through the first one, before rolling to the side to avoid the second. He jumped into the air over the third, and spun around, kicking the fourth to the side into the rock face. Naruto began to fall back to the Second's head, but sliced another in half vertically as he fell. As he hit the rocks once more, the stretched his arm back, and thrust forward, stabbing the final meteor coming at him, halting all movement.

Naruto held his sword up as the rock began to crack. His eyes flashed as he leaned back just as the First Tsurugi plunged through the rock, shattering the giant rock, sending small stones rolling off the head to the village below. Naruto looked up at the sharp blade, an inch away from cutting his face.

Naruto scowled, swinging his left leg in a circle, knocking the blade away, and spinning in a circle as he rose, using his left hand to backhand Cloud's face, but Cloud weaved underneath, swinging his sword to the side to cut Naruto's torso, but Naruto kept spinning, in his right hand the Buster sword, and slashed upwards, knocking away Cloud's smaller sword, and cut downwards, trying to get Cloud. Cloud raised his main blade to block the blow, and swung his sword high, bringing it down with both hands. Naruto swung his sword in an arc, and swung his sword diagonally, but Cloud leapt out of the way, and raised his hand to catch his smaller sword. He twirled it a bit in his hand before reattaching it, and took a battle stance once more.

Naruto leapt further up onto the Second's head, and Cloud followed. Naruto leapt behind a spike representing hair, and just rolled forward in time to avoid Cloud's blade as it cut the spike in half. Naruto turned around, and leapt back as Cloud leapt into the air and planted his sword into the ground where Naruto once was. However, Naruto looked down, feeling a slight vibration, and gasped as a pillar of flame engulfed him. Naruto quickly leapt out of the flame before his armor could take too much damage and flew into the air.

Cloud soon leapt up to join him, and the two began exchanging blows much faster. Cloud would give him a strong slash, and Naruto countered with a powerful stroke. Both continued to strike the other in hopes of breaking their guard. However, as the two flew through the air, Cloud managed to kick Naruto's sword out of his way and cut Naruto from head to toe, sending him back to the First's face.

Naruto managed to regroup just before he reached the head. He plunged his sword into the wall, and cut through the First's right cheek, from the bottom of his eye to the corner of his lip. He grabbed his chest, still feeling the blow from before, but quickly turned when he saw Cloud soaring towards him. Naruto held onto his sword with his right hand and reached up his right sleeve with his left. Pulling out his dagger. Digging the dagger further to the side of the face, he dislodged his sword and swung off the dagger just as Cloud slashed where Naruto had been, leaving a small crater. Cloud took out his smaller sword sheathed behind him and planted it in the rock face, allowing the two to meet eye-to-eye handing off the hilts of their weapons.

Cloud raised his sword and slashed downward, with Naruto copying his movements. A loud clang filled the leaf village as the two blades battled with each other for dominance. The scraping of metal against metal rang through their ears as the continued to push, gripping their weapons for their lives.

Naruto felt his palm began to sweat, and his grip on the dagger loosening. Naruto scowled, looking back at Cloud. He couldn't hold on much longer, and Cloud knew it. Naruto swung his legs up and brought them down hard, using that momentum to swing into the air. Naruto pulled out his dagger as he began to swing upward, and landed on Cloud's smaller sword planted in the rock. He parried Cloud's strike and leapt off the sword hard, dislodging it as it fell. As Cloud fell, Naruto landed on the top of the First's head and sheathed his knife, lowering his blade and gasping for breath.

Naruto raised his head, breathing hard. '_Too strong…he's just too strong! He's probably just warming up…_'

Naruto panted as he tried to regain his breath and plan his next move. '_At this rate, I won't be able to hold out much longer. I've gotta get outta here, one way or another…!!_'

Naruto looked at his feet, and began to feel a trembling. He attacked himself to the rock as the shaking began to increase, looking for an escape route, but as the rock beneath his feet began to crack, his eyes widened. It was too late.

Lightning erupted beneath his feet, surrounding the poor boy. The lightning leapt up to the sky in a cylinder shape, rising to the clouds themselves. His armor shattered as the lightning surged through his body, sending him into a world of torment. Naruto shrieked at the feeling, closing his eyes tightly as his entire body became a conductor for pain. Naruto was tossed back as the lightning ended, lying on his back with his sword held loosely in his hand. He looked over, trying to lift it, but found his strength gone.

Cloud leapt through the hole extending from beneath the First's jaw all the way to the top of his head. He walked over to Naruto slowly, perhaps even menacingly. "Weak…so very, very weak." Cloud stopped a few feet away, holding his completed sword at his side. "This is all you can do? You won't even look at me with your true eyes…" Cloud raised his sword, pointing it right at Naruto. "If this is all you're willing to fight for, then I'll end your pathetic attempt at life."

Naruto didn't move. Cloud was right. He couldn't fight. He was afraid. The fear had never left him. It had been with him all along, and now, looking into the eyes of his teacher, his comrade, his friend, he couldn't do it. He couldn't raise his sword against his own comrade.

"_You fight as if your freedom means nothing!_" Cloud's voice rang through his head, snapping his eyes open. '_C-Cloud…has this been…_' Naruto's eyes went blank as realization hit him. '_What is my freedom worth?_' Naruto closed his eyes, concentrating.

Black. No light, no nothing, just black. Naruto kept his eyes shut, focusing his entire mind on Cloud's words. Cloud's face flashed in his mind as he said the words over and over again.

"_You fight as if your freedom means nothing!"_

"_You fight as if your freedom means nothing!"_

"_You fight as if your freedom means nothing!"_

"_You fight as if your freedom means nothing!"_

"_You fight as if your freedom means nothing!"_

"_You fight as if your freedom means nothing!!"_

"_You fight as if your freedom means nothing!!"_

"…No."

Cloud's eyes widened as Naruto slowly began to pick himself up. "I see…you still possess some will to fight."

Naruto forced himself onto his elbows, ignoring his joints crying out in protest. He rolled himself over onto his stomach, before propping himself on his sword, slowly standing upwards, turning to face Cloud. "You…you told me…"

"…"

"You told me to…bring some light to these dark times… Naruto scowled. "And…recently, I've been seeing this little glimmer in the sky. I've been chasing after it ever since, wondering just what it holds…and…I can't get there by your side." Naruto looked up at the sky, stretching his left arm as if to reach a light on the ceiling. "I'll go it alone…even if I never see any of you again, I'll do it! I'll protect everyone in my own way! I'll become the planet's guardian angel!"

"…Che."

Naruto flung his arm to the side, as if slashing his sword. "I'm through with listening to others! I won't serve as a tool for any country to use in these shinobi gang wars, and I won't fight in your war for a cause I don't even know! I'll find something truly worth fighting for, you'll see!"

Cloud smirked, raising his sword. "And just how far are you willing to go?"

Naruto smirked. "Wherever, however, forever! I'll never quit! I'll find a way to make the world brighter all by myself! Nothing's gonna stop me from doing what I think is right! I'll cut down anything in my way!" Naruto raised his giant sword with his right hand, pointing it straight at Cloud. "And…Cloud, you're blocking my road."

Naruto leapt into the air. "Limit Break: Braver!" Naruto slammed his sword down onto Cloud's, before landing on his feet, ducking low, and launched himself upwards into Cloud's chest. Cloud leapt back before Naruto could hit, but Naruto was still sailing through the air and flipped, landing behind Cloud, and swung around in a full circle. Cloud ducked beneath the first stroke, but Naruto kept spinning around until he was facing Cloud once more, and stabbed straight forward. Cloud leapt up, landing on the extended blade, and backflipped. Naruto used the force from Cloud's kick as well as his own strength to cut through the very rock, swinging his sword around, and connecting with Cloud's as Cloud began to fall.

Thus began an exchange of high-speed sword blows. Naruto used such force that Cloud never got the chance to hit the ground. He swung like the possessed man he was, finally having his own ray of light that was all his own. Naruto began to rapidly circle his sword beside him like a saw, spinning around and changing hands to keep it going. It cut through the very rock, turning it molten red as small flames peeked out from the crevices. Cloud blocked each blow, each time being sent further into the air. Then, with one mighty blow, Naruto gathered all of his strength into a single cut, melting the rock as he cut through, and impacted Cloud's sword, sending him high into the sky. Flames flew out from the cracks, blown by the wind of the attack.

Cloud soared up into the sky, flipping around so that he could view the field below. He watched as Naruto kneeled, before rocketing into the air, straight past Cloud. Naruto backflipped in the air, before accelerating straight down. Cloud used his energy as a propellant, soaring straight up to Naruto.

"You wanna know how much freedom means to me, Cloud?!" Naruto roared, drawing his sword back, preparing for a powerful thrust. "Well take a good look!"

Cloud held his sword out in front of him to parry the blow, only to blink as the Buster Sword stabbed right through the broad side of the First Tsurugi.

Naruto smirked, chuckling auspiciously. "Limit Break…"

Cloud watched as the Buster Sword began to glow with power. The blade began to shine with blue Mana swirling around the blade. '_I never taught him a limit break like this…_' A series of sharp snaps filled the air as cracks began to spread along the First Tsurugi from Naruto's Buster Sword, taking on a design similar to a spider-web. '_Is this…an original?!_'

Naruto grinned, flashing his teeth to his shattered reflection in the First Tsurugi.

"Shining Stardust."

Blue Mana filled the cracks of the great sword, shattering it into a thousand tiny metal shards. Cloud could now watch as Naruto grinned at him behind the wall of steel shards. Cloud stared at the particles for a moment, quickly glancing at the six handles now dangling uselessly in the sky.

'_What is this technique…!!_' Cloud instinctively brought his arms up to shield his body and head when the thousand pieces of steel rushed towards him. They came in a constant barrage, as if there were a dozen machine guns firing at once. Cloud's aura armor slowly ripped and teared, unable to regroup fast enough. Some pieces began to breach the weakened armor, cutting through the skin, coating their sides with blood. Cloud cringed as the barrage continued, curling up as much as he could, before finally smashing into the fourth's head, crashing through the rock, sending both stone and dust into the air as the barrage ended.

Naruto landed in front of the crater, breathing heavily as the six hilts landed around them. He blinked as dust blew into his eyes, tearing up at the unwanted contact. Naruto took another deep breath and walked forward, raising his sword, and cutting horizontally fast and hard. The slash blew away most of the dust, revealing Cloud implanted in his own rock angel.

Cloud slowly opened his eyes, clearly in pain. He has two cuts on his left cheek and one on his right, and his clothes were torn, with several strips missing, blood slowly altering the deep blue color. Cloud lay there, with his mouth slightly open in awe. "That…was impressive, Naruto."

"…I learned from the best." Naruto muttered, keeping his head low.

"…Impressive…" Cloud smirked. "…But not good enough!" Cloud pushed off the ground and grabbed Naruto's face in his surprise, pushing him back, and into the ground, into a rock angel of his own. Naruto clenched his teeth in pain as he felt Cloud grip his sword and rip it out of his hands, releasing his grip on his face and pointing the tip of the Buster Sword at him.

Naruto stared for a moment at the sword, and then at Cloud. He had an unreadable expression, one that showed no remorse, no sorrow, no joy. Naruto's gasped, eyes widening as Cloud drew his arm back, preparing to stab. Naruto snapped his eyes shut, gritting his teeth, unable to meet his master's eyes any longer.

Cloud stared at Naruto for a moment longer, and pushed the sword forward.

_Thuck!_

Naruto kept his eyes tight, awaiting the feeling that accompanied impaling, but none came. He peeked through one eye, and saw Cloud staring at him, still holding the Buster Sword, but the tip was no longer in front of his face. Naruto noticed the blade running slightly off to his right side, and followed it, before looking fully to the side, where the tip of the Buster Sword lay embedded in the rock.

Cloud let go of the handle, and kneeled on Naruto's left, using his right arm to steady himself and raised his left. He kept his fingers curved, pointed right at Naruto's stomach. His hand began to glow pure white, shining with power. He looked at Naruto with empty eyes once more. "Steel yourself, Naruto." He stated, thrusting his hand forward.

Whatever peace the sky held ended as Naruto's cry pierced the heavens themselves.

**--With Denzel--**

"Tifa! Marlene! Have you seen Cloud?" Denzel shouted, running up to the two in one of the steel halls.

The two turned around, smiling. "Yes, I saw him yesterday. He'll meet you as soon as he's back."

Denzel nodded happily. "Can you tell him to meet me in my room?"

Marlene tilted her head to the side cutely. "Why?"

"Something I wanna show him!" Denzel shouted excitedly.

Tifa nodded happily. "Alright, but remember, we need to leave by sundown. Be sure to pack your things."

"I got it! Thanks Tifa! See you later, Marlene!" He shouted, buzzing off.

"Bye Denzel!" Marlene shouted at his retreating form.

Denzel darted through the halls, past scientists with clipboards and men carrying equipment to storage. He could've sworn he caused three accidents along the way, but paid it no mind as he ran into his room.

He excitedly pressed a small button next to a steel door, which slid open a moment later. He walked inside, turned around, and locked the door to his small guest room, before smirking. "Finally."

Dark smoke erupted around Denzel, surrounding the young boy in the mist. It was a deep blue in color, wrapping the boy in a swirling cocoon.

As the mist began to clear, a dark silhouette could be made out in the blue mist; thought it was clearly different from the boy who entered it. It was a man, a tall one, but nothing more could be made out by that.

The man extended his hand, holding a top hat. He tapped it, letting any unwanted particles drop to the floor. "Ah, holding that form is a real hassle." He said in a cheery, high male voice, clearly not that of a child. He raised the top hat, and placed it on his head.

The mist began to clear, and soon, his closed right eyelid became visible, along with a few strands of hair, no different from child Denzel's. He slowly opened his eye, revealing a deep blue eye lacking any whites, with a small white diamond-shaped dot in the center with something similar to purple mist floating around that little dot. "Don't keep me waiting long, master."

**--With Cloud & Naruto--**

Naruto screamed as Cloud's hand met his skin. It seemed to phase through his clothes, and even his skin, but Naruto felt something grip something deep inside him, and pulling it, hard. Naruto's eyes were wide as saucers as pain surged through his body; unbearable, unimaginable pain, the likes of which he'd never known.

Naruto raised his left arm to Cloud's attempting to remove it, but Cloud brought his right up and grabbed it, pushing it out of the way, and over to his right, which he also grabbed, disabling both arms. Naruto began to kick in a last desperate attempt to free himself, but Cloud raised his left leg and straddled him, leaving him completely defenseless.

Naruto began to feel something within himself untangle, and struggled with all his might, but the fight had taken a lot out of him, and he had yet to fully recover from the limit break. All he could do was lay there as Cloud continued to pull.

Cloud used all of his power to pull his left arm back, pulling whatever he'd grabbed with him. But, it was tightly embedded within Naruto's body. It wouldn't be easy to remove. Cloud gave another hard tug, and the base of his hand reached the edge of Naruto's skin. Red energy began to shoot out from Naruto's body from the sides of Cloud's hand. A powerful roar filled the air, drowning out Naruto's cry for a moment, before settling into a deep growl. Cloud remained unfazed by it and continued to pull, while Naruto stared at his stomach in terror.

Naruto's mouth began to tremble, feeling something inside him unwind, like mixed wires forcedly being torn apart. Looking up at Cloud, he noticed how his expression had not changed, and remained as calm as he had when he started. Naruto gave one last determined effort to escape, but to no avail. Cloud had too much strength; he couldn't free himself. Nevertheless, he continued to struggle as much as he could, refusing to give Cloud an easy time killing him.

And then, Cloud ended it. "Limit Break!" Cloud felt a surge of energy in his hand, and with one last pull, freed his hand from Naruto's stomach. All at once, Naruto felt the pain leave him, ending his cry. He looked at his stomach in shock; he'd expected to die. Instead, he felt great, if not better than ever!

Naruto examined his stomach, taking note that nothing appeared to have changed. Cloud's hand seemed to have phased through both skin and cloth, which left him to wonder just what Cloud had done. Looking up, some questions were answered, only to be buried under a pile of new ones.

Cloud's hand was now glowing red, and looking at the back of it, he could see a great black eye surrounded by yellow staring at everything that it could catch. It held such hatred, such malice. He stared at it for only a moment before gasping; he knew the owner of that eye…

The Kyubi.

Cloud stood up, keeping his hand as still as possible, before reaching into his pocket with his right hand, pulling out a white glove with various black seals running along it, and covered his hand. "That should keep it calm for a while." Cloud muttered, clenching his left hand.

Naruto stared at Cloud, still amazed he wasn't dead. "Wha…what just happened?"

Cloud looked down at him for a moment, before returning his gaze to his hand. "…You no longer hold the title of Jinchuriki."

Naruto's eyes widened. "So…that thing really is…"

Cloud turned around, and started walking away. "I can't let you going wherever you wish holding something of such value, fool." Cloud muttered.

Naruto shakily stood to his feet, grabbing his stomach to confirm his hand wouldn't find a hole, and ran after Cloud. "So you weren't trying to kill me?!"

"Of course I was."

Naruto's eyes widened at the statement, and while losing his focus, he tripped, falling on his hands and knees. Cloud, however, just kept walking. "'Were you truly dedicated?' That was my question; you answered it. If this is the path you wish to take…then take it, but I'll have no part in it." Cloud turned around, and looked Naruto in the eye one last time. He didn't smile, and kept his calm look throughout their encounter. "From this point on, you go alone. This path has room for no one other than yourself. If you're truly dedicated…then walk."

Cloud and Naruto locked eyes at that moment, and in that instant, Naruto understood everything that Cloud wanted him to know. It was an awakening for him, a new age. Cloud nodded, and turned around. "Get up. No one's going to help you now. Stand on your own two feet, and through the harshest storms, look ahead and walk…until the day you die."

Naruto stared at Cloud from the ground, tilting his head as high as he could to look at him. "Cloud…"

Cloud closed his eyes, bringing his right hand to his face. "Until the day you die…" Cloud flung his right hand to the side, bringing with it a black feathered wing. The base of the wing emerged from a long slit on the back of his clothing, before growing from the base, forming the body of the large wing.

Cloud turned his head, keeping it low so his hair covered his eyes, and only his lips were visible. "Until the day you die…Never. Stop. Walking." Cloud's wing rose high into the air, before flapping down, sending the man high into the sky. Naruto watched for a moment as Cloud lingered in the air, before he flew off into the clouds, and beyond his sight.

Naruto clenched his fists into the earth beneath him, lowering his head. "Another test…" Naruto mumbled, trying to comprehend what just happened. "You wanted to know…if this was really what I wanted…" Naruto smirked, pushing off the ground, and standing on his feet.

"…I feel lighter." Naruto noted, looking at his stomach. "From Kyubi…from Konoha, the W.R.O…" A smile began to play on his lips. "I'm free…I'm free!!" Naruto shouted in happiness. Free of Kyubi, free from servitude, he was free. He laughed for a bit, falling on his back, looking up at the sky. "I'm free…" He muttered again, savoring the flavor of the words, looking up at the clouds.

His eyes locked onto a small black feather drifting down from above, watching it sway through the air as if it were dancing. It watched it fall, until at last it landed on his chest. Naruto reached up and grabbed it, holding it delicately in front of his face, as if it were an antique.

Naruto stood up once more, with the feather placed in his palm. Slowly, he tilted his palm until the feather fell out, falling to the ground, settling among the dust. "Well, no point hanging around here!"

Naruto turned around and walked over to the Buster Sword, grasping the handle, and with one fluid motion, he dislodged the sword, twirled it around for a moment, before strapping it to his back.

Naruto took a moment to look around, taking note of the unlucky monuments. "Hehe…guess we took it a little far…" Naruto chuckled, keeping his right hand on his sword. Looking down at Konoha from atop the head of the Fourth Hokage, he watched as Konoha began to fight back.

Naruto drew his sword and stared down at the battlefield once more, before raising his sword, and tapping it against his forehead.

"I promise, Cloud…no matter what happens, I'll keep on walking." Naruto gripped the hilt tightly, determination burned into his every feature. "I'll keep on walking…until the day I die."

Naruto lowered his sword to his side, and leapt off the Fourth's head. For the first time in his life, he knew what it was like to fly.

**--With Cloud--**

Cloud opened the door to Denzel's guest room, revealing a messy bed with comics scattered over the mattress as the blanket lay on the floor. The nightstand lay in next to the bed with a small television on top, and a videogame system hooked up to the side. On the wall there was a bookcase filled with children's books and short stories, but Cloud paid no attention to this as he shut the door behind him. Taking a few steps into the small room, he walked over to the bed and brushed the comics off to the side, before plopping his tired form down on the bed.

"Hey, that wasn't nice. I just started that series." A playful voice echoed throughout the small room.

Cloud turned to the source of this: a man wearing a black tuxedo, bowtie and all, and a top hat. His head was low, but one could see the strands of brown hair surrounding his head. "Denzel, Tifa told me you wanted to see me."

The man looked up, revealing the youthful face of a man barely into his twenties. "Ah, yes! About that…the rest of your generals have requested you answer some questions…of course, that's entirely up to you, my lord." Denzel said, smiling politely all the while.

Cloud sighed, placing his arms behind his head. "What about?"

"Recent activities, and future plans. You really should meet with them, master." Denzel chirped.

"…Hm, like I have the time. Either way, they'll do as I say. I'll meet with them on my own volition."

Denzel nodded. "Of course, but still…it would be nice to give them what they want. It's not like they'll betray you or anything."

Cloud sighed, sitting up on the bed. Looking the young man in the eye, he sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Alright, tell me…what do you want to know?"

Next Time: Operation: Inferno

Notes

New format. I think it works better this way. I'll work on updating all the chapters to have this easy format next time.

Also, I need some assistance. I'm thinking of including an omake section, but I need someone who I can show them to first who can tell me if they're good, or they should be sealed away with E.T. for the Atari 2600. If they could help me improve them, that'd work, too. I only need one person, so if you're interested, please contact me.

This chapter was originally supposed to be longer, but I quickly noticed that if I made it as long as I wanted it to be, it'd be over 40,000 words, so I split the chapter outline into 3 chapters, and it's working out much better.

This chapter may actually seem shorter compared to my other chapters, but I can still proudly say that this chapter alone is longer than most stories on the net, and that doesn't include only one-shots.

So…yeah, this part of the story is almost done…and then off to part two! I'll probably update my other stories soon, but I've really started to get into this one, so we'll see.

I've got the next chapter all in my head, and I plan to start writing soon. Summer's just around the corner, and I want to get this part of the story done by mid-summer, so wish me luck!

So yeah, Cloud removed the fox from Naruto. He's no longer a Jinchuriki, but he's still got that dark side. More on that later.

As always, thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'll get to work on the next chapter soon, but no guarantees…finals are a bitch (I think that's the only time I've sworn in this whole chapter! Upon further investigation, I am wrong. Very Wrong.)

Reviews would be nice!

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


	15. Operation: Inferno

**--The Paths We Walk--**

Operation: Inferno

"_I knew the price of freedom…if I left both Konoha and the W.R.O, I'd be completely alone. I asked myself over and over again if it was worth it, and within minutes after Cloud left I felt doubt fill my heart. I had family in Kyusokai, and friends in Konoha. If I left, I wouldn't even have that dumb fox to talk to now. What had I done?_"

**--With Homura & Koharu—**

The two head councilman sat on two cushions in the center of an incredibly large square room. Along the walls were multiple shelves, running up like small stairs, with thousands of candles lined up along the shelves. Below each candle was a steel plate engraved with a name. Out of the thousands of candles, eighty-seven candles had already gone out.

Homaru continued to stare out into the field of light. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched one candle in particular waver, flickering desperately to survive, before vanishing, taking the light with it. "That makes eighty-eight…"

Koharu nodded. "So much death…and the operation has only just begun."

"I fear this room will be darker before the day is done."

"…Let us pray that any light remains, at all…"

Homaru nodded in agreement, and went silent, praying for the flames that had not lost their light.

**--With Naruto—**

Naruto landed on top of one of the buildings at the base of the mountain. The tiles cracked under the force of his impact, but he quickly leapt over to the next building just as the spot of roof he was standing on gave out. He landed on the building in a crouching position, surveying his surroundings. "The enemy's had plenty of time to occupy the village…I've gotta be on guard."

Looking around, the village was in chaos. Over a dozen fires were spreading throughout the village, filling the sky with ash. Some of the ash flew through the air into Naruto's eyes, much to his annoyance. From his position on the rooftops, he could make out several groups running through various streets. Considering their speed and armor, most were samurai and mercenaries. Various groups of ninjas hopped around the rooftops doing battle, filling the air with audible clangs.

"Naruto!" Naruto turned around, meeting eyes with teams Asuma, Kurenai and Gai just as they landed on the roof. "Shouldn't you be with your team?" Asuma asked.

"Uh…I sorta…don't know where they are…" Naruto scratched the back of his head.

Kiba laughed heartily at Naruto's confusion. "Ah, that's the idiot I remember! As clueless as ever!"

Naruto twitched. "Shut up, flea-bag!"

Hinata twiddled her fingers, trying to think of something to say to calm them down. "Um, I'm sure he didn't mean that, Naruto-kun…"

Neji smirked. "He's just stroking his ego, nothing more."

Kiba growled, staring at Neji fiercely. "You wanna go, girly-man?!"

Tenten sighed. "And I'd thought we'd get some quiet with Lee gone…geez."

Naruto dropped his head, muttering a small curse. "Look, do you know-" Naruto stopped for a moment, ducking and turning around as a blade sliced through the air his head had once occupied. Naruto spun around while standing and gripped his sword, swinging it straight down, cutting the inexperienced Sound Ninja in two. Naruto turned his full attention to another attacker, who came at his right, but just as he swung the kunai at Naruto, Gai rushed forward and slammed his fist into the enemy shinobi, sending him hurling into the sky with no hope of a safe landing.

Gai glanced to his right, watching the last shinobi leap into the air. Gai leapt into the air and kicked his leg up, knocking away the hand with a kunai, and brought it back down, smashing his heel into the Shinobi's skull. The ninja sailed down towards Asuma, who grasped his trench knives tightly, raising his arms, and slashing just as the body passed. The mangled remains flew past the edge of the roof and descended to the streets below as Asuma stood, landing next to Gai.

Naruto stared. "Whoa…fast."

Asuma smirked. "Speaking of speed…shouldn't you be going somewhere?"

Naruto chuckled, rubbing his neck uncomfortably. "Uhh, I've really got no idea where to go. Where are they?"

Gai's eye twinkled as he gave Naruto the good-guy pose. "They're headed to take back the academy! Do your best, student of my number-one rival! MAY THE FLAMES OF YOUTH GUIDE YOU TO VICTORY!!" Gai shouted enthusiastically, much to the chagrin of his team.

Naruto nodded, waved, and started leaping through the air.

"This just keeps getting weirder and weirder…" Choji muttered.

Kurenai turned to Hinata, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, he'll make it."

"And so will us." Asuma smirked, lighting a cigarette. "Don't forget, we've got enough to worry about."

Asuma took a long drag, holding the filthy air in his lungs for a moment before blowing, filling the air with smoke. Opening his eyes, he stared at the large Hokage tower hovering over the eleven of them.

**--With Cloud & Denzel—**

Cloud took off his glove, allowing the glowing red hand to emerge, with the eye of the Kyubi in the center.

Denzel stared in awe. "Ah, you got the Kyubi! Perfect!"

Cloud nodded, clenching his fist. "Easier than I expected."

Denzel tipped his hat. "As expected from you, master." Denzel crossed his arms, leaning on the wall. "Hey, why don't you let me remove some demons? Just show me the technique."

Cloud shook his head. "You think it's that easy?" Denzel tilted his head in curiosity. "The only people who can remove demons from Jinchuriki by themselves are those who possess Jenova's power; SOLDIERs. And…the only ones who can survive the removal of a demon, are SOLDIERs."

"Why's that?"

"Jenova energy. The demons fear nothing of this earth. That's why, only the calamity from the cosmos can spark such fear in a demon. That's why Jenova is a necessity in removing a tailed beast."

"Alright…so how does it actually work?"

"Simple." Cloud raised his hand holding the fox spirit. "The Kyubi no longer has a body, merely a spirit, which can be contained in just about any space. When bound to a Jinchuriki, their spirit is forced to entwine with the user's chakra coils, forming a web to donate their energy to the host, from which escape is nearly impossible with proper seals. However, say I was to unravel the seals, and unbind the web, the spirit could escape…but that's where the Jenova cells come in."

"It's far simpler when the host holds Jenova cells as well, but it can be done on a normal human, though it can take days. By temporarily purifying my hand of all Jenova's power, I can plunge my hand into the seal and unravel it, while leaking Jenova energy in through my wrist. The demons can't stand Jenova energy, so even when they're free, they only have my purified hand to escape to as I have the Jenova energy constrict, forcing it into my custody."

"…Heh, you really are amazing, Cloud."

"…Don't compliment me. It's not perfect. The first Jinchuriki I tried this on died, and the second one followed. Naruto's the only one to survive."

"And this is because he holds the cells as well?"

Cloud nodded. "Yes…introducing Jenova energy into an individual with no prior experience with Jenova can put them into shock, and holds about a ninety-nine percent chance of killing them. That percentage was why I held off removing the fox until the last minute…I hadn't been able to test it. I'm glad it worked out."

"Yeah…but you still haven't found the one you're looking for."

"True…but every demon counts, no matter how many Jinchuriki we lose along the way. Black moon will probably be after them as well. We'll need all nine eventually…but I wish I knew where the dragon was…far more valuable than the fox; at least for now."

Denzel sighed, playing with the rim of his top hat. "Hmm…well, how will you find the other six?"

"In time. It seems that Gaara fellow has one, but I'm in no hurry to catch the one-tailed demon. Besides, the demons aren't much of a concern right now."

Denzel smiled, nodding. "Indeed, the Black Moon is getting more aggressive with their attacks. They've never actually attacked a branch head-on. And those Chosen are quite the annoyance…"

"Hmph. We'll manage."

"Really now?" Denzel chuckled. "And just what are you planning, my master?"

Denzel walked over to a closet in the corner, and pressed a button, opening the automatic door. He pulled out a foldable chair and a table, while holding a box under his arm. "Well, might as well have some fun while we work." He walked back over to where Cloud was sitting on the bed before setting down the small table and unfolding the chair on the opposite end. Setting his top hat down on the nightstand on top of the television, he took his seat and raised a box containing a chess set. "Shall we play?"

**--With Naruto—**

Naruto stared at the deserted road ahead of him, looking from left to right, then left, then right…

'…_Where the hell am I?_' Naruto deadpanned, having never visited this section of the village before. Tall building obscured his vision, winding streets going off in every direction. It appeared to be

Naruto ran up to a large museum in front of him, and leapt onto it, running up at top speeds, Naruto flipped onto the rooftop, landing in a kneeling position, and looked up, only to meet a very familiar smirk.

"Yo, stupid wannabe."

Naruto looked completely clueless as he stood up, wondering just what was going on. "Wait…this means that-"

"Yeah, since you were too stupid to get back on time, Kakashi sent me out here to drag your useless butt back to the academy."

"Shut up, I've never been here."

"Got lost in your own village? How sad."

"Hey, maps are complicated!"

"Maybe if you'd used landmarks to navigate, like the mountain, perhaps? A true shinobi never gets lost."

"I'm a fighter, not a navigator."

"So you're a brainless idiot who follows the head. Doesn't that make you the ass?"

Naruto scowled. "This coming from someone whose hair looks like a chicken's butt?"

Sasuke smirked. "Sennin Goroshi."

Naruto flinched, stepping back. "Ouch."

Sasuke turned around, appeased with his victory, before walking across the rooftop. "Come, dobe." He spoke in a commanding voice. "Kakashi's waiting for us."

Naruto scowled as he marched across the rooftop, treading quickly after his teammate. He walked along the rooftop, glancing down one of the glass panels granting him a glimpse of the treasures below. Something caught his eye, a glimmer in the dark room. He focused his gaze, trying to make out what gave off the eerie glow.

Walking closer to the glass, his eyes widened as he watched several other eerie lights were born, struggling against the domineering darkness. Red, green, blue, yellow, and purple dots fought to be noticed in the black abyss of the museum. Naruto was half-tempted to dive into the room to sate his curiosity.

"Dobe, let's go!" Sasuke shouted from the edge of the roof, before leaping over to the next, not waiting up.

Naruto cast one last glance down into the building; the lights coaxing him into diving into the darkness, but Naruto tore his gaze away from the lights and leapt after Sasuke, towards the Academy.

**--With Cloud—**

_Clack. Clack. Clack…Clack clack!_ "Wow, great move, master!" Denzel smiled as Cloud removed one of Denzel's rooks. From the chess board. "However…" _Clack!_ "Haha! Lost a bishop!"

"…" Cloud knitted his fingers together, letting them cover his lower face as he rested his chin on his thumbs. He stared at the chess board with sharp eyes, seeking out any possible paths that could lead him to victory. He reached out with his right hand, delicately grasping an unmoved pawn in the center of the board, and moved it ahead two spaces, covering his remaining bishop from Denzel's queen.

Denzel grinned, scratching the back of his head. "Ah, got me there! Nice move."

Denzel grabbed a pawn of his own and moved it to meet Cloud's recently placed pawn head-on. "You know, they say the game of chess is the child of tacticians discussing strategy for a real battlefield. Yet, I can't help but feel how off that statement really is." Denzel chuckled, raising his hand. "Especially in our scenario."

"…" Cloud noted Denzel's actions. "Exactly."

Denzel focused Mana into his fingers, raising a small black barrier in the middle of the field that Cloud could see past. The barrier was just tall enough to block off Cloud's view of Denzel's units. The only areas of the enemy's field that were visible to the other were small areas where their pieces stood behind enemy lines.

"Much more realistic." Denzel smirked, moving a rook back to his side, just on the edge of the barrier on the side.

"True, we never know what's behind enemy lines." Cloud sighed as he boxed his king in on the side.

"All the more troublesome for us, haha!" Denzel chirped.

"…You're awfully chipper in the face of bad news."

Denzel grinned. "Anger can actually trigger the release of certain hormones that actually make you stupid! As your official assistant, I must always be at the top of my game! If that means laughing in the face of overwhelming odds, then so be it!"

Cloud sighed. "Yes, yes, you've told me this before. I get it."

"Merely reminding you, master!" Denzel smiled.

Cloud lowered his gaze back to the small black barrier, narrowing his gaze even further. "That veil…if only I could see what lies behind it…"

"Too bad, master."

"Hmph. Still, this isn't right. This still isn't the battle we're fighting. Something's missing…"

Denzel smirked. "…You're right."

Denzel tapped the edge of the chess board with his finger, closing his eyes. "This battlefield…is missing one key element."

Cloud smirked behind his hands. "Heh, so you figured it out too?"

Denzel nodded, grinning, and raised his hand. With it, several copies of the same chess board flew into the air, held in place by an invisible force. Denzel quickly created another black barrier, barring Cloud from seeing how many copies he'd made. On each of the new chess boards, countless black pieces conquered the field, marking Denzel's territory.

"Black Moon clearly exists in other worlds we have yet to discover, and in great numbers, if what they've sent to us so far is any indication. It's possible they're using these attacks to gain information, both on the W.R.O. and our world. What we've seen up till now may merely be the tip of the spear aimed at our hearts. And what's worse, is that we have no idea how many worlds are occupied by the Black moon, or how to get there." Denzel took several powerful black pieces, from rook to queen, from the boards above and placed them on the lower board, creating an extremely powerful army.

"True…but now this world has appeared as well. If necessary, I'm sure we can find a location for a new headquarters."

Denzel smiled. "It's all thanks to little Naruto that we found this one, eh?"

Cloud blinked. "Partially, though he can't be given all of the gratitude. After all, it's only because he had Jenova cells to begin with that I was able to sense his location in the lifestream. Whoever…or whatever gave him the cells deserves our thanks."

Denzel nodded. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that!" Denzel lowered his gaze, staring sadly at the black pieces. "But…if you can sense Jenova energy through the lifestream, why haven't you sensed any new outbursts?"

Cloud sighed, sacrificing a rook to destroy one of Denzel's bishops. Denzel wasted no time in crushing it. "It's possible…that Black Moon isn't using Jenova energy."

Denzel's eyes widened. "But they've got such strong fighters! How can none of them be SOLDIERs?"

"…Either they're very good at covering their energy, or they've discovered a new method to create superhuman warriors."

Denzel chuckled, rubbing his temples. "Great, unknown superhuman baddies striking us whenever they wish. Well, at least we'll never get bored!"

Cloud smirked. "Multiple worlds…bound by the same ocean of life…and now it has come to this…"

Denzel smiled, cupping his own cheeks, staring at Cloud with hopeful eyes. "But we'll win, won't we?"

"…I'm sure of it." Cloud closed his eyes. "I have seen the paths of the future, and I have seen how we can win this war."

Cloud's eyes shot open, revealing deep blue eyes, without a trace of whites, with a small shining white diamond dot in the center, surrounded by an imitation of purple mist. "With me as its guide, the planet has nothing to fear. Victory will be ours!"

**--With Sasuke & Naruto—**

Sasuke landed on the rooftop of the academy, followed by Naruto. Kakashi peeked over his shoulder, wiping the blood off his Kunai. "Ah, good, you found him! Better late than never, I suppose." Kakashi chirped as he walked past the corpses of the disposed watch.

"Hmph. The Dobe got lost, in his own village."

Kakashi sighed. "Nothing out of the ordinary, then."

"…I'm right here, ya know!"

"Kakashi pointed his finger up lazily. "Let's go!" Sasuke smirked, shoving his hands in his pockets as he followed after.

"…Cold." Naruto muttered, following after them.

Kakashi walked over to the ledge of the rooftop and peeked over the edge. "Hotaka has sensed two teams of four inside the facility. Our team will strike from above, while Team Ryuunosuke and Sakura will attack from below. Hayate will be joining us, though he'll be acting independently. He's on stealth reconnaissance. We'll strike in one fluid motion, crushing the enemy before they have a chance to regroup. They shouldn't be more than Chunin with a Jonin commander, so be prepared."

Sasuke scoffed. "Like crushing flies with your bare hands."

Kakashi nodded. "Naruto, come with me. I'd like to speak with you for a moment. I've already talked with Sasuke; he'll be on watch." Naruto nodded, and followed Kakashi while Sasuke stayed behind, brooding.

Kakashi led Naruto to a door on the rooftop, and opened it. "The door below is closed; they won't hear us." Kakashi stepped inside, followed by Naruto. Kakashi shut the door, and locked it, leaving the two trapped inside.

The stairway was barren, with only a small lamp handing from the ceiling to provide light. Dull brown wallpaper lined the walls, torn and wreaking an unpleasant smell, testifying its age, and the lack up care this hallway received. He pitied it.

Kakashi kept his face to the door, leaving Naruto to look at his back. "…Do you remember rule number 66 of the shinobi code?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, rolling his eyes back in thought. "Uhh…nope, not really."

"Well, let me give you a little refresher. Kakashi looked over his shoulder, half-turning to meet him. "It talks about killing."

"Killing? I can already do that. Cloud and Arash told me all about it."

Kakashi looked downcast. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"Huh?" Naruto crossed his arms, confusion filling his eyes.

"…Teaching someone to kill…is never an easy thing. So we've developed a plan…to teach ninja to take life. In the academy, and as Genin, we try to create close bonds of friendship between ninja. That camaraderie is part of what keeps Konoha united as a family."

'…' Naruto glanced to the side, unable to meet his gaze. Kakashi caught this, but said nothing.

"The best way to train rookie ninja how to kill…is to create hatred towards the enemy, and make them seem less than human."

"!!" Naruto's eyes widened as he turned back to Kakashi, mouth dropping in shock. "That's…"

"Necessary. It's part of the path to make a true shinobi. But it doesn't stop there. One day, a shinobi will look into the eyes of their enemy and experience an epiphany; their enemies are no different than them. Dreams, passion, love, even if we see our enemies as murdering dogs, one day, we can see past the masks, and truly appreciate life."

"Uhh…Kakashi-sensei, Cloud and Arash already gave me that."

"Naruto…I'm not talking about your experience…it's your teaching methods."

"Huh?"

Kakashi glared at him, a hint of anger present in his visible eye. "You teach them by having them kill prisoners? That completely destroys the method we've worked with since the founding of the village!"

"Huh?" Naruto stepped back, two stairs back.

"Do you have any idea what killing for the first time does for someone? You should! You've been through it! And you tell them to break themselves a mere hour before combat?!"

The anger flared our, replaced with disappointment. "Hinata cried…and she wasn't the only one. Why do you think we give only low ranking missions to Genin and leave assassinations to the experienced ninja? Innocence is hard to break, and if we're not careful, we could break more than that."

"But…they asked me to-"

"Please don't blame them." Kakashi walked up to Naruto, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You are young, and still have much to learn. Please, leave the teaching to us from now on, alright?"

Naruto dropped his head in shame. "…Alright…I'm sor-"

"Don't apologize. At the least, your intentions were honorable. In time, perhaps you'll understand."

"…Heh…give me some credit. I think I get what you mean." Naruto looked to the side, smiling sadly. "I'm more of a fighter than a teacher anyways."

"Well…at least you're a good one." Kakashi walked to the door and unlocked it. "When you hear the signal, you bust through that door. Sasuke and I will be entering through the windows, and together we'll fight the first group. Team Ryuunosuke will be entering from below and take on the second squad. I trust you're up to it."

Naruto nodded, looking down the hall. "Soooooo…what's the signal?"

Kakashi looked up in thought. "Ahh…you'll know when it comes, about…" Kakashi pushed open the door and ran out just as the building began to shake as if a large summoning had just landed outside. "Begin mission!"

Naruto kneeled as another smaller shock rumbled the building, and he nearly fell trying to stumble down the stairs as best he could. However, the rumbling got the better of him as he fell forward, tumbling down the flight of stairs and bashing right into the door, knocking it off its hinges. The door slid forward, carrying Naruto with it, halting as it hit an unmoving object.

Naruto, laying face-down on the fallen door in the middle of an empty classroom, raised himself up with his left arm and rubbed his head with his right as he tilted his head up, only to meet with the object that stopped the door's joyride.

A Chunin sound ninja stared down at him, raising his kunai as his two comrades followed suit, walking up to his sides. "Um…did I interrupt something?" Naruto cheesily asked as he grinned nervously up at them. '_They'll probably slash me…Aura Armor is weak against slashing strikes. And I'm in no position to defend…_' Naruto grit his teeth as he looked around, desperate for an escape route.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

The Sound ninja turned to the window just in time to see the glass burst as Sasuke launched a fireball into the room. The three ninja launched themselves back as the fireball flew over Naruto, missing him by inches, and slammed into the wall, burning the white wallpaper and charring the wood underneath.

Sasuke leapt through the broken window and stood next to Naruto, bringing out a kunai. "The Jonin of this squad isn't here. Kakashi's gone to track him down. We'll take down these guys." Sasuke offered his hand, glancing at Naruto. "Nice entrance, by the way."

Naruto smirked, grabbing the hand and letting Sasuke pull him up. "Shut it."

"Hmph. Mind your manners, dobe. We have guests." Sasuke glanced at the three regrouped sound Chunins, all prepared for combat. "Don't fall behind, slowpoke."

"Hah!" Naruto drew his Buster Sword, pointing it at the Sound ninja. "I'll give you a lovely look at my back the whole time!"

The Sound ninjas blitzed, surrounding them on all sides. Naruto and Sasuke went back-to-back, facing the two coming in from the sides, with Naruto gripping his blade with both hands as he waited in a neutral stance and Sasuke pulling out four shuriken while gripping his kunai in the other.

The three ninja closed in on the two, preparing the strike with their kunai. Naruto raised his sword to parry the first kunai while Sasuke raised his own to block the other's strike. However, the one coming down the middle pulled out a second kunai and crossed his arms, preparing to stab both Sasuke and Naruto in the back of the head. However, just as he reached them and the tips of the kunai were inches from penetrating their skin, both boys ducked and spun to face him, planting one foot each in his stomach and kicking back while knocking back the kunai they were parrying.

Unfortunately, the two other shinobi reached up and grabbed one of their comrade's kunai each, and flung them at the two boys as they recovered from the parries. Naruto tilted his sword to the side, shielding both their bodies as the kunai struck the giant blade, and fell with a clatter to the floor.

Sasuke and Naruto landed about ten feet back from the three Chunin, glaring daggers at their assailants. "They're fighting cooperatively…" Naruto muttered.

"Thanks. I hadn't noticed." Sasuke remarked sarcastically.

"Well, whatever! It's about time things started to get interesting!"

"Hmph, now you're talking!"

The shorter one in the middle folded his arms and stepped back as his comrades leapt forward. Sasuke threw two of the shuriken he was holding at the one on the left, but the enemy simply swerved to the side, letting the Shuriken land in the front of the large desk behind him. Sasuke leapt to the side and jumped forward in the air, Sharingan blazing, sailing over his opponent, and throwing his kunai. His opponent ducked underneath the flying kunai and charged towards Sasuke.

Sasuke caught the arm swinging the sharp knife, stopping it inches from his throat before twisting his wrist and dancing behind him, locking his elbow joint, preparing to break it. But his opponent quickly raised his legs and wrapped them around Sasuke's, tripping him in midair and sending both of them to the ground. Sasuke growled as he felt the back of his left shoulder begin to flare up, but fought back desperately as he tried to stay focused on the task at hand. The Sound ninja pulled out a spare kunai and tried to stab him, but Sasuke raised both arms and grabbed the arm and wrenched the kunai out of his hands, jabbing it into his shoulder, disabling that arm.

While the man howled in pain, Sasuke stood up and dragged him into the air by his wrist, and kicked him back. It appeared he would just land on the floor, but he was caught by small wires hanging in the air. He turned to look where they may be coming from, and noticed the two shuriken he threw earlier in the desk attacked to the string. He looked the other way and saw the two shuriken he was previously holding embedded at the other end of the room beneath the blackboard. Sasuke leapt forward and drove his leg into the Sound ninja's gut, sending him through the ninja wire, cutting him into three pieces. Sasuke sailed through the center of the string, landing without a scratch as the pieces of the corpse fell to the floor. He grabbed his left shoulder in pain, but calmed down and breathed deeply as he began to feel the influence of the mark subside with help from the seal.

Meanwhile, Naruto swung his blade from left to right once more, only to have the Sound ninja duck and leap out of crouching, forcing him to lean back as he sailed over him. '_Damn! These guys are on a different level than those wimps in the forest! They really are Chunin level!_'

Naruto turned to face his opponent once more. The Sound ninja had already pulled out multiple shurikens, and just as Naruto raised his sword, he launched every one of them at Naruto. Naruto took his right hand and reached up his right sleeve with his left, pulling out his smaller black knife. He began to swing it rapidly, blocking all of the incoming shuriken, veering them just far enough off their paths to avoid getting hit. Unfortunately, the Sound ninja's glare expressed joy as he drew his hands back. That force allowed Naruto to catch a glimpse of the small wires connected to the shuriken. Naruto turned around just in time to watch their approach.

The sound ninja smirked as the Shuriken slashed across Naruto's upper body, but that joy quickly turned to confusion as he noticed the lack of blood. Naruto staggered from the initial surprise and allowed a small curse to express his feelings. '_Damn, surprised me for a minute…_'

"…Not a scratch…" '_Like…Gaara…_' The man stared in amusement as Naruto turned, without a rip or tear, even in his clothing.

"Heh, it'll take a lot more than that to beat me!"

Naruto lunged forward and swung his sword up, knocking the kunai out of the surprised ninja's hands and reversed his grip, driving it through the man's chest. However, this man was smart, and moments after the blade impaled his body, smoke surrounded both him and his attacker. Naruto blinked as the smoke cleared, leaving behind a skewered log. "Substitution…"

Naruto tilted his head up, watching the man cling to the ceiling. "Now die!!" The man released his grip on the ceiling, and plunged to the earth below, flipping through various seals.

Naruto, however, just smirked. "As if!" Naruto closed his eyes. "Limit Break…" The log, still impaled upon the Buster Sword began to crack, blue light shining thought the ruptures. "…Shining Stardust!" The log burst into a thousand pieces, hovering in midair for a moment, before Naruto swung his sword up at the descending shinobi, sending the thousand pieces of wood at the unfortunate man like bullets. The force sent the man right back into the ceiling, cracking the wood as the shards of the log connected the man to the ceiling, leaving the corpse to hang.

Naruto and Sasuke walked back to the center of the room, and turned to their last opponent. "And then there was one…" Naruto smirked, pointing the tip of his Buster Sword straight at the short man's heart. "You ready?"

The shorter man chuckled, closing his eyes and shaking his head in amusement. "You two use some very odd…Chakra? Is that it? I'm not quite sure…"

Naruto's eyes twitched while Sasuke's right arm ran along his left until it was at the back of his shoulder, hovering over the sealed curse mark. '_The seal is bulging. Is the curse…growing stronger?_'

Sasuke lowered his arm, glaring at the last Sound ninja. "Stop wasting our time and come."

The man sighed, raising his hands and grabbing his face mask, tearing it off with one swift motion. Beneath was a handsome young man, probably around fifteen, with glowing blonde hair falling to his shoulders with a small patch of unshaved hair present on his chin, giving him an air of maturity. "You killed my comrades…but their sacrifices shall not be in vain."

"Huh?" Naruto questioned.

"Simple observation…and with that, I'm afraid that your ninja journey will end where it started."

Sasuke scoffed. "Well, it seems fear of death makes one delusional."

The man smiled. "So it seems." He reached behind his back, pulling out a small ball attached to a chain. "Tell me, how shall I destroy you…?"

Naruto grimaced. "What…"

"I could…beat you over the head with this ball-and-chain, or I could wrap it around your necks and let you die side-by-side as you writhe for air right under your noses. Oh! Or maybe I could smash your ribs and tear apart your vital organs! I don't care either way, it shall be quite a show!" He shouted energetically.

Sasuke growled, taking a small step back. "We've got a real psychopath on our hands…almost as bad as your berserker."

Naruto smirked, giving a test-slice of his Buster Sword. "Well, you took that down, right? So what's the problem?"

The man lowered his head, mumbling. "Die…die…die…"

The man swung the ball-and-chain around, lashing it out right at Naruto. Naruto leapt into the air to dodge, letting the ball hit the wall hard. Sasuke leapt forward, pulling out two fistfuls of shuriken, and flung them at the man. The man leapt into the air and tugged on the chain, sending the ball flying at Sasuke. Sasuke went prone to avoid it, leaping back up while pulling out a kunai and a tag.

Naruto lunged through the air and brought his sword down for a hard blow, but the man grabbed both ends of the chain and held it out to defend himself. Then, in an instant, he wrapped the chain around the sword and threw it aside. Naruto flipped over him, watching his sword land in the wall fifteen feet away.

The man whirled the ball over his head, juggling the thought of who to strike next. However, Sasuke threw the kunai before he'd concluded, but it landed five feet away from him.

'_Weak…_' The man thought, before taking a closer look at the kunai. '_An explosive note…no…_' The note was different from an exploding tag. Different characters…thicker paper… "…A smoke tag!" He realized just as the tag burst, spewing smoke around the room.

"Nice, Sasuke!" Naruto ran over to his sword and dislodged it, and turned to Sasuke. Naruto and Sasuke turned to the dust Cloud and rushed in, Sasuke activating his Sharingan and Naruto activating his blue Meiangan in his left eye, the side not facing Sasuke.

Inside the smoke, the young man smirked as he stared at the dust at ease. He could hear the tapping of feet, but had no idea where they would come from. The man smiled, closing his eyes, filling with excitement. '_Come…and I shall grant you glorious deaths!_'

Naruto and Sasuke charged through the smoke, Sasuke sensing the man's form with his sharingan and Naruto with his mind-reading powers, and both raised their weapons for the killing blow.

Naruto blinked in surprise as he looked towards Sasuke. "Oi, watch your head!" Sasuke looked to his side and barely managed to duck as the mace came roaring through the air, feeling his hair tilt as it passed over his head. However, Naruto's focus had been on the man, and was closer to Sasuke than he thought. Unfortunately, even with his SOLDIER skills, he was unable to move fast enough to avoid the mace when it was a mere foot from him, and felt the crushing pain as it smashed into his side.

Naruto clenched his eyes in pain as he let out a large yelp, sailing thought he air and hitting a wall hard. '_Damn it…I can't believe I let myself get hit!_' Naruto thought as he slid down the wall, landing on the ground with a thud.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted as he altered his course, leaping into the air and landing right next to Naruto. "Grr…nice job, idiot! How could you get hit?!"

"Ugh…shut up, bastard. I didn't sense it coming thanks to your dumb body…"

"Heh heh heh…" The two turned to the man as he emerged from the smoke. He was grinning wildly, as if he just showed up the big-talking bully on the playground. And his eyes…

His eyes flared up, pupils and irises replaced with a small blue sphere in the center of the white eye, surrounded by two black rings, one inside the other, both surrounding the electric-blue dot, and on each ring were two twitching yellow spheres, zooming in synch along the lines.

"As I suspected…you two are quite…interesting…"

Sasuke's jaw dropped an inch, but for the Uchiha, that was something rarely achieved. "A bloodline…"

The man's grin widened. "I am Jin, of the Konki clan. Through my ancient blood, I have inherited the power of my ancestors…and with that power…I shall destroy!"

Naruto grimaced, clutching his injured side. '_Augh! Aura armor is meant to protect against piercing damage. But that blunt weapon deals pure force. My armor can absorb some of the impact, but most of it's still gonna get through. Even this armor isn't absolute…_' Naruto closed his eyes in pain, trying his best to focus and create a plan.

Sasuke stood up and reached into his pack, digging around for something he could use as a distraction. "So…just what do your eyes do?"

Jin smirked, glaring fiercely at the boy, as a hunter would before the kill. "Nothing you should concern yourself with in your last moments of life. In fact, I'll give you one minute to say your prayers. Or a head start. I'll just wait here." Jin turned around and walked to a corner, putting his fingers in his ears and humming a small tune.

Sasuke growled. "Why you-"

"Sasuke, stop! We don't have much time!" Naruto growled. He turned his attention to Jin, still humming away obliviously. '_Good thing Sasuke asked what his eyes did. He may not have said anything…but it crossed his mind!_' Naruto smirked.

"His eyes…can sense different types of energy, including chakra. If you tried to attack him, I'm sure he'd sense your flux of energy."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "How do you…"

"I've seen this before!" Naruto lied. "Let's find a place filled with life energy…"

"…The potion's lab. There're plenty of plants there." Sasuke whispered.

Naruto nodded. "Good, now we need a distraction."

Sasuke smirked, pulling out four kunai, each with an explosive note attached. "Already on it."

Sasuke hurled the kunai at the floor in front of them, spreading them evenly along the floor. While the tags began to sizzle, Sasuke picked up the injured Naruto and ran down the hall, with Naruto dragging his Buster Sword the entire way.

Jin turned around upon hearing them run, his grin reaching from ear to ear, but he quickly gained a look of confusion as he noticed the explosive tags. "What the…"

The tags burst into flames, creating a wall of fire. Though none of them reached Jin, but they had another effect. "Blast! I can't see a thing with all this energy! Why those little- I'll cut them to-" Jin began panting, before taking a deep breath, and letting it out, placing both hands on his head and running them all the way down his hair. "Alright, no matter. A little chase makes the meal all the more rewarding." He smiled as the flames fell, allowing him to see once more. However, he couldn't see anything that would qualify as human life energy, even through the walls. "Hmm…they couldn't have gone far with that injured brat…oh well, if they're still in the building, it's just like hide-and-seek!" He laughed to himself, before narrowing his special eyes. He picked up his ball-and-chain and began to walk at a slow, menacing pace, ignoring the bodies of his dead comrades, promising death to whoever crossed his path.

**--With Cloud & Denzel--**

Cloud narrowed his eyes as he lost another knight to Denzel's forces. "There's too many."

Denzel chuckled, scratching his cheek. "I'm just too good!"

Cloud sighed. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to win. I've seen it."

"You sure?"

Cloud gave a small grin. "My eyes are better than yours." His eyes softened as he stared at the board once more. "I can see farther…I know what we have to do to win. It's still not really clear…but I know how we can win."

"…Oh really…"

"Hmph…" Cloud picked up his queen, and began to finger it, staring at it as if it were the last piece of the puzzle. "The pawns are, obviously, the W.R.O. soldiers. Rooks and Bishops would be powerful fighters, like former AVALANCHE members. Knights would be the technology we have on our side, and the queen…"

"…SOLDIER! Am I right?" Denzel grinned, expecting an affirmative.

"Well…not exactly." Cloud smirked, flipping the queen up into the air and crossing his fingers, creating eight clones of the queen, letting all nine fall back into his hand. "There're a few things different about Kyusokai, if you haven't noticed."

"…Arash treats the rest of us like we don't exist and Naruto's fresh off the conveyer belt. I haven't exactly had a heart-to-heart conversation with either of them yet." Denzel muttered.

"Well…what's different about me?"

"…Um…gravity-defying hair?"

Cloud twitched. "Quiet, top-hat."

Denzel giggled. "Hey hey, don't hate me because I have a sense of style!"

Cloud rubbed his temples to ward off the stress-related headache. "Think…we were just talking about it. Even someone with your attention-span should notice."

Denzel tapped his chin in thought, before his eyes widened. "Ah!"

Cloud nodded. "You see?"

_Clak!_ "Check!"

Cloud twitched. "Stay focused!"

Denzel chuckled. "I am. I get it." Denzel watched the board, as Cloud destroyed the piece threatening his king. "It's the eyes, right? The power of the soul."

"The official term is Spirit Limits, or Seirei Genkai. Unlike bloodlines, they're connected to one's spirit energy, not our bodies. Even if an eye technique exists in both forms, they differ depending on which type the user is."

Denzel glanced at the nine queens in Cloud's hand. "So…those queens are…"

Cloud smirked. "In total, there are nine different spirit limits. Each member of Kyusokai will accommodate a different power. If I can do that…then…"

"…Then what, master?"

"…" Cloud sighed, lowering his head deeper into his hands. "I don't know. I can't see that far, but…" Cloud looked up, as if he could actually see the heavens through the cold steel. "This is as far as I can see…and I trust…it's the first step to Black Moon's defeat…"

Denzel smiled, nodding with glee. "I see, excellent!" Denzel chirped. In his excitement, he accidentally knocked over one of his bishops, into an unwanted line of fire, which Cloud was all too happy to take. "Hey! That was an accident!"

"Too late." Cloud smirked, relishing the moment while it lasted.

Denzel sighed, lowering his head, scratching the back of it. Slowly, he raised his head, gaining a serious look in his eyes. When he spoke, he spoke with a dark tone, a slight bit of worry glistening his words. "But…what about Naruto? He just left, didn't he?"

"…Yes…" Cloud muttered, lowering his gaze to the board.

"Well…without him, you're one Spirit Limit short…"

Cloud closed his eyes, furrowing his brow. "Not a problem…I have a replacement."

**--With Naruto & Sasuke—**

Sasuke leaned Naruto down next to a bench of potted plans, kneeling next to him. They were inside the potions lab, filled with plant life on every desk, lining the walls, and even draping the walls as ivy grew on top of the special fertilized wallpaper. Both boys were sitting next to the center plant, or tree more like it, reaching up to the top of the room, before splitting like a cobweb along the glass ceiling, with leaves growing so close together it must be like a forest for ants.

"Alright…we should be safe here for a while. All these plants are kept living for potions and medicines, so there's plenty of life force in the room."

Naruto nodded, gripping his side. "Yeah…but still, it won't be long…"

Sasuke scowled, looking towards the door barricaded with a desk. '_It won't hold for long…_'

Naruto looked towards the makeshift barricade, cursing under his breath. "Just our luck…"

"Hn…I should'a brought some traps with me…didn't think I'd need them in the stupid Chunin exams." Sasuke clenched his fist, tempted to hit something, but kept himself in check. "Damnit…"

Naruto stretched his torso a little, flexing his body, testing for damage. "Nothing's broken. I'm ready to fight!"

"Dobe…this guy isn't Chunin level! Look at us! He took you out with one blow! How do you expect to fight this guy?"

Naruto's eyes sharpened and he raised his fist, launching it forward with full force, slugging a surprised Sasuke right in the mouth. Sasuke flew back, landing on a table of colorful fauna.

Sasuke sat up, pressing his palm to his aching jaw, tasting the warm, metallic blood filling his mouth. Sasuke's eyes flared as he stared at Naruto as if he were insane.

Naruto sat up shakily, clutching his side as a small twinge of pain flashed through his body, but just as quickly as it came, it disappeared. "Sasuke…you haven't changed…you big chicken!"

Sasuke stared at Naruto as if he grew a second head. "So he's stronger than we thought. That never stopped us before! We took down Haku, we stopped that Grass bastard, and we reached the final stage of the Chunin exams! And you're gonna let one dumb blonde get the better of you?! HUH?!"

Sasuke frowned, placing his arm on his one raised leg. "…That's already happened, idiot."

_Knock-knock na-knock-knock_ Both turned. _Knock-BOOM!_

The door shot open, pushing the desk clear to the other side of the room, sending plants, ceramics, and dirt scattering across the area. Both turned towards the door, catching sight of Jin as he strode through the door, grinning wildly. "Found you!"

Both ninja stood fully upright, taking a step back. Naruto picked up his Buster Sword and Sasuke raised his guard, activating his Sharingan. "That was fast…"

"Say, who made that giant crash? I didn't even need to use my eyes!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto, who rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh…my bad."

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Sasuke and Naruto's eyes widened as they recognized that scream. "Sakura!!"

Sasuke glanced at the door, their only way out, but Jin was still in the way. "Damnit…what's going on?!''

Jin turned around, whistling over his shoulder. "Sounds like my comrades are throwing a welcoming party for your friends. Let me spoil the grand finale: they die!"

Naruto grimaced. "No, we've gotta do something!"

"Yeah, but…" Sasuke trailed off. He looked from Jin to the door, then back to Jin, then the door. '_Something's wrong…Ryuunosuke's with them. How could something…_' Sasuke growled, running through his choices.

Naruto, on the other hand, was ready to rush this guy and tear him to shreds. So he did.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Naruto roared as he ran at Jin. Ignoring Sasuke's protests, he leapt into the air and brought his sword down, but Jin swung his ball-and-chain around, knocking the sword to the side as it whirled and wrapping around it. Jin leapt up as Naruto landed, tugging on the chain as he sailed over Naruto. The blade rose with the force, almost smacking Naruto in the face, but he leaned back just far enough to avoid getting hit.

Jin landed several feet away, tugging on the chain in an attempt to disarm his opponent. Naruto growled, holding his sword in his right hand and grabbing his black knife beneath his sleeve once again, and raised his hand, preparing to strike.

Jin smirked, believing it wouldn't work. But when Naruto stabbed, sparks flew as the steel split. Jin's eyes widened as he realized what was happening, and with some fancy handwork, he unraveled the ball-and-chain from Naruto's sword. Naruto sheathed his knife and raised his sword, preparing to strike once again, but Sasuke intervened.

"Naruto, go help the others." Sasuke ordered as he put his hands together. "This guy's mine."

Naruto turned to Sasuke, who was standing right in front of the open door. "Sasuke…"

"Get going, idiot!" Sasuke roared as he formed his first seal, molding chakra.

"No, you're the idiot! I'll take him and you go help the others! Now!"

"Dobe…I'm not going anywhere. If you don't go, then no one's going to help them."

Naruto grimaced. "Wha…listen you bastard! You said it yourself! This guy's strong, so let me fight him! I'm trusting you to help our friends!"

Sasuke bowed his head, his bangs covering his eyes. "No…I'm trusting you to help them…and I'm trusting you…to trust me to beat him." Sasuke raised his head, his sharingan eyes whirling. "I'm doing this because I trust you!!"

Naruto's eyes twitched as he began to sweat in stress. "This…this isn't fair…you fool…" Naruto turned from Jin and ran towards the door. Time seemed to slow as he passed Sasuke, feeling the power begin to rise within the other boy. "DAMN YOU, SASUKE!!" Naruto roared as he streaked past him, and out the door.

Sasuke smirked as he used one hand to shut the door and place a customized flame tag on the small section where the metal handle base met the metal base on the doorframe. The tag burst into white-hot flame, melting the steel, mixing it together. In an instant, the fire died, leaving the door welded shut.

"No going back now…" Sasuke muttered as he ran through a series of hand seals.

"Hee hee…how noble, sacrificing your life to give your friends a small extension…"

Sasuke smirked, placing his hands on the floor. "I won't let you leave…"

Lightning began to form in Sasuke's left hand and he charged his attack.

"I won't let them die…"

Jin began to twirl his ball-and-chain above his head, sending it straight at Sasuke just as he looked up.

"Never again!!"

**--With Team Ryuunosuke/Sakura (five minutes previous)—**

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Sakura clutched her bleeding arm, freshly cut by the enemy's scythe. Before her stood three tall men in flowing white robes with similar white sashes tied around the waist to keep their robes secure, a black 1 in a black circle embroidered at the end of each sash. The tops of their robes had large openings for the heads, leaving much of their collar exposed. Their sleeves were also large, drooping along their arms, which just barely reached the ends. The robes reached their feet, which were covered in straw sandals. In their hands, each held an identical black-handled scythe, handles six feet long with blades over three feet long, large spikes on the opposite side of the blade, with four holes running along the blades. Each member of the squad had their face veiled, and hair cut short and dyed white. In fact, these three men looked exactly the same, in height, skin color, everything.

Hotaka and Yoko stood in front of her, preparing to engage. Michiko kneeled in a corner, clutching both her swords as she panted, having barely avoided death a second before. A small cut adorned her left cheek where she'd barely stopped a scythe from entering any further. Ryuunosuke had already passed out, being struck by surprise earlier.

It had been going so well. Hotaka sent them all up from the floor underneath by creating wooden cocoons to shoot them through the floor, and they'd taken out the four enemies with ease. The shock had shaken the entire building, and by the time Hotaka himself had plunged through the floor a moment later, the battle was over. Still, no one expected to get ambushed by these freaks.

Sakura kept pressure on her arm as Hotaka dispensed more seeds into his hands. He threw them at the three men, but before they could even land, one of the men in white stepped forward, twirling his scythe around his fingers, moving it to cut all incoming seeds to pieces before they could land. His comrade then followed up, rushing forward and whacking him with the end of his staff, filling the air with a cracking sound as he sailed backwards.

Sakura leapt to the side, catching Hotaka as he fell. He coughed, sending more blood onto Sakura's injured form. Yoko raised her guard against the man as he attacked, using a kunai to stop the scythe from cutting her. However, another veiled man appeared behind her, swinging his scythe back, before launching it straight at her body. Yoko forced the other man's scythe high, before jumping forward, elbowing the man and barely getting out of reach of the scythe.

Yoko leapt back to cover her injured comrades. But something was weird. Her back was wet. She reached behind her and felt her back, and froze. The Scythe had cut her water tubes in half.

Michiko slowly stood up and lunged towards the man who hadn't moved. She swung one sword horizontally, while bringing the other down from above. However, the man raised his staff diagonally, blocking both blows. He gave a hard push, knocking both swords aside, and delivered a harsh kick to the girl, knocking her back into a wall.

Michiko cringed as she slid down the wall of the damaged auditorium, cracked pieces of the wall descending upon her body. It lay in ruins, with various chairs flipped, burned, or cleaved. The once sparklingly clean wooden floor was scarred and destroyed. It was a disaster.

Yoko glanced through her messy hair at her comrade to her nearly forgotten master. "…Are you with Orochimaru?"

The one nearest to her, the one she recently elbowed, turned to meet her, though nothing could be made out from the veil. "…"

Yoko looked around, gathering as much information as she could. '_Hotaka took a hard blow; it looked pretty bad. Sakura's arm is nearly out of commission, and Michiko isn't in the best shape herself, and Master…_'

Yoko grimaced, realizing she was the only one truly fit for combat. '_If they hadn't surprised us like that, then…_' She shook her head. No! Now was not the time to be thinking of 'what if's.'

The two men facing Yoko turned to the third, and nodded. The third nodded in response, and walked towards Michiko. "No…Michiko, move!"

Michiko moaned in discomfort, raising her arm, removing some debris as it rose. She looked up, and noticed one man stalking towards her, scythe tight in hand, ready to kill. She tried to raise her swords to defend herself, but the man merely kicked them out of the way, sending them skidding across the floor unceremoniously.

Michiko's eyes widened as the man raised his scythe, preparing for a decapitating stroke.

Suddenly, the floor above the man gave out, sending debris toppling onto him. The man took no notice of this and prepared to finish his stroke, but as soon as he tried to perform the fatal reap, the blade of his scythe caught one something, and it wouldn't budge.

The man turned his veiled face towards the source of his disruption, and saw that a giant sword was embedded in the ground just behind him, the handle right in front of the blade of the scythe, preventing the fatal blow.

The man looked higher, and saw the young man in the red coat, one sleeve longer than the other, and modified blue SOLDIER gear with black gloves balancing on the end of the hilt. Looking down at the man, his gaze hardened.

"I will never forgive you…never!"

**--With Hayate—**

Hayate quietly stalked through the halls of the basement, keeping as quiet as he could. Any unnecessary movements could alert his prey…and he couldn't allow that.

He'd seen him enter the academy from above. The man in that long red leather coat just waltzed in as if it were any other day. Hayate had watched the man enter the stairway leading to the basement, where all the files and records were kept.

Hayate had followed, but was having trouble locating the man. The surprising thing was that this man made no attempt to hide his presence. Just looking into the rooms, he saw books scattered across the floor, files disorganized, papers covering the entire floor. Whoever this guy was, he was working fast.

Hayate stalked towards the end of the hall, and saw the final door at the end of the hallway, where the flipping of pages and the occasional thunk of an object hitting the wall could be heard.

Keeping his hand on his sword, he stealthily crept up to the door, noticing it was cracked. Peeking inside, he saw the man in the long red leather coat tearing through files, one after another. He decided to wait to see what the man was after, so he could report what information the enemy was after. The man walked over towards the shinobi registration cabinet, and grinned, as if he just beat the top student in the final exam.

Pulling out the file, he flipped through it at an incredible speed, knowing full well what he was looking for. He kept looking for several seconds, before suddenly, he stopped. His entire body froze as he stared at one page in particular. Then, he grinned, like a cat that cornered a rat, preparing to enjoy a tasty meal. "I found you…" He muttered with his soft, cool voice.

"Uchiha…Sasuke!"

'_Uchiha! What could he want with…_ ?' Hayate thought, before reaching up to his mouth, stifling an uncontrollable cough.

The man froze, but did not turn. "Show yourself." He demanded.

Hayate's eyes widened as he burst through the door, drawing his sword and pointing it straight at the man. "You, on your knees!" Hayate commanded.

The man glanced over his shoulder, scoffing. "Is this truly necessary? I have no quarrel with you."

Hayate growled, keeping his sword pointed at the back of the man's neck. "What do you want with Uchiha? Answer me!"

The man chuckled for a moment, half-turning his body, while fully turning his head to Hayate. He had fair reddish-brown hair, falling to about chin-level, while parting at his face to give his eyes the chance to be used. He was young, and beautiful, almost feminine. On his right ear he wore an earring that almost looked like a thin chess piece. On his long, collared red leather coat, he wore two black leather-covered shoulder guards, and what appeared to be a full black uniform of some kind underneath, with black boots and red gloves finishing the outfit.

Meeting the man's shining blue eyes, which seemed to glow abnormally. "Well?!"

The man smirked, and reached behind his back. In an instant, he pulled out his sword. It seemed to be a mix of a broadsword and a rapier. The handle was that of a rapier, black in color, with two crossing wings giving birth to the blade. The red blade was thin and long, possibly four to five feet.

Hayate glared at the man. "Put that down."

The man merely scoffed, lifting his head in defiance. "I have no quarrel with you, friend. Please leave me in peace."

Hayate didn't budge, gripping his sword with both hands. "What do you want with Sasuke?!"

The man sighed. Clearly this was getting him nowhere. "This is the last time I'll ask nicely. Let. Me. Pass."

Hayate sharpened his gaze. "You're with Orochimaru, am I right?"

The man chuckled, glancing to the side. "To compare me to that psychotic waste of life…you're beginning to drive my patience. Now move aside!"

Hayate raised his sword, preparing to attack. "If you won't come peacefully, then you'll come in pieces!"

The man smirked. "It appears words do little to persuade you…if a fight is truly necessary…" He raised his sword, placing the hilt just in front of his face, closing his eyes. He tilted the blade, and ran one hand along the back of the blade. As he did, white runes flashed for an instant as his hand passed, before it was engulfed in red light. "…The arrow has left the bow of the goddess…!!"

The man drew his sword back, and lunged forward, slicing in one swift motion. Hayate brought his sword to block, but to no avail.

The next second, the man stood behind Hayate, his sword having completed its journey. The blade Hayate was holding fell, sliced in two, as the hands that once held it trembled. Hayate fell to his knees, blood pouring out from the gape in his damaged vest, before falling to the floor. He showed no signs of getting up.

The man sighed, deactivating the energy surrounding his blade, returning his sword to its sheath behind its back. He walked out through the same door he came in, leaving the broken body behind.

"Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall…my return."

**--With Sasuke—**

Sasuke stood, Chidori in hand, letting it slowly sizzle out. Ignoring the roaring pain on his left shoulder, he readied himself to face his opponent. Turning, he locked onto Jin, who was toying with his ball-and-chain, or rather, whatever still remained.

Sasuke had rushed straight at the incoming weapon, cleaving the ball in two and shattering the pieces of the chain. Jin just barely managed to dodge the actual attack, but now had to mourn the loss of his weapon.

"You'll pay for that…" He muttered. He turned, his eyes flaring, yellow dots flying along the black rings.

Crossing his arms and flipping them out, he forced out two foot-long spinners attached to long chains. Both spinners began to rotate, until the two actually picked up enough speed to displace the air needed to lift of the ground.

Whipping the chains, the spinners shot forward. Sasuke leapt high into the air to avoid them, but as the spinners rose to meet him. Pulling out two shuriken, he threw them at the chains, the force of the blow disrupting the spinner's paths ever so slightly, just enough for him to escape. Sasuke tried to use the Sharingan to predict their motions, but to little avail. They were too fast, and even with their altered course and Sasuke's attempt to dodge, he felt a part of the blade slice his arm as it passed.

Sasuke fell, clutching his wounded right arm. '_Even if the Sharingan can predict movement, I'm still not on his level yet…_'

Jin pulled back his spinners, letting them hover just in front of him as he held his arms over them, keeping the chains rolled up his sleeves and out of the way. "Tell me…who was your friend? I look forward to killing him."

Sasuke growled, trying to push aside the undesired jealousy rising inside of him. "Oh yeah? What's it to ya?"

Jin chuckled, grabbing the chains and hurling the spinners at Sasuke. Sasuke back flipped, looking at the ceiling just as one blade passed underneath him and another over. Jin withdrew the blades as soon as they passed Sasuke, letting him land unharmed. '_He's toying with me…_'

"Do you know what my eyes can do? They can-"

"See energy, right?"

Jin's eyes widened, momentarily losing control of his spinners, giving himself a small cut on the leg. He grimaced and blushed in embarrassment as Sasuke chuckled at his own stupidity. "…How did you know that?"

"Oh, don't mind that. Please, go on."

Jin took a deep breath, regaining his calm demeanor. "Most living things have two different types of energy flowing through their bodies. Chakra, which everyone is aware of, but the second is rarely talked about, and usually spoken of in religion, not in school."

Sasuke grinned, unrolling a long white strip and bandaged his wound. "Go on."

Jin saw him bandaging his wound, but made no move to stop him. "Life energy." Sasuke narrowed his eyes, unsure of where he was taking this. "Consider it a long, un-rechargeable battery that keeps us going, and young people are full of it!"

Jin grinned, raising his arms. "Do you have any idea how wonderful it is to watch someone young die? All that unused life energy bursts from their body in millions of soft, blue-green strings of light. And then, it spreads out, and falls back to earth, in wave-like lines, descending into the earth until nothing but the body remains. Nothing in this world can even compare!"

Sasuke scoffed. "So you get off on killing."

Jin's grin widened, but his arms lowered, keeping one at his side while the other rose slightly as he explained. "Now, most people like you and me use Chakra in our attacks, and to activate our eye techniques. Even now, I can see the Chakra flowing to your eyes. I'm sure I'm quite the same. However, that friend of yours…" His eyes lit up in glee. "He may use Chakra in his attacks, but his eyes…when he used his eye technique, it was his life energy!"

Jin had gone absolutely hysterical. "Sweet, wonderful life energy! That's how he powers his eye! If I kill him, will something new happen? I've never seen anyone actually use their life energy to fight! I wanna to see! I wanna to kill! I WANNA KNOW!!"

Sasuke's eyes widened when he mentioned Naruto's eye. '_…Berserker?!_'

Jin's eyes shot back to him, filled with glee. "First I'll kill you, and then I'll kill him! And then I'll see the most beautiful death in the world!!"

Sasuke leapt to the side as the spinners came flying at him. The spinners smashed into the wall, sending severed vines and leaves flying. Jin yanked both of his chains, sending them roaring towards Sasuke. Sasuke began to use his super-speed, running all around the room in a circle to get away. But Jin just kept circling the plant in the room, keeping the blades right on Sasuke's heel.

The mark on the back of Sasuke's shoulder began to pulse, making Sasuke miss a step, letting the blades get ever closer. Sasuke recovered, and continued running.

'_It's getting harder to focus with this thing. It hasn't acted up before…why now?_' Sasuke growled as the blades continued to tear into the wall and tear more plants into compost. '_If this keeps up, I'm dead! But I can't just attack him…he'll pull the blades back faster than I can get to him…Somehow, I need to dodge the blades…but my eyes aren't…_'

"_So he's stronger than we thought. That never stopped us before! We took down Haku, we stopped that Grass bastard, and we reached the final stage of the Chunin exams! And you're gonna let one dumb blonde get the better of you?! HUH?!"_

Sasuke smirked as Naruto's words ran through his head. "…You're right…"

Sasuke's eyes pulsed as he continued to focus. '_More power…I need more! Focus…focus…focus…focus!!_'

Sasuke leapt off the wall, straight towards Jin. Jin pulled back his spinners to stop Sasuke, but Sasuke pulled out two kunai and turned in the air, staring at the incoming spinners. 'I can see…I can see!!' Throwing both kunai, he managed to just catch one loop in the chain, the force of the kunai's flight forcing the chains, and thus the spinners, on alternate courses.

His safety assured, he flipped through several hand seals and gripped his left wrist. Jin stared, unable to raise a defense in time as the chirping of a thousand birds filled the room.

Jin tried to reach for a weapon, but to no avail as Sasuke flew through the air, Chidori in hand, with his new three-tomoe Sharingan blazing in all its glory.

**--With Naruto—**

Naruto stood balanced on the hilt of his sword, which was blocking the scythe about to kill his friend. The man who's attack Naruto had blocked raised the blade of his scythe just a bit, and reaped at Naruto's feet. Naruto leapt into the air, avoiding the scythe, and back flipped, grabbing his sword as he flipped, and struck as he finished flipping, but his opponent merely leapt out of his range.

Naruto landed on his feet, and leapt over to the other two, bringing his sword behind his head, and bringing it out, trying to cut them in half. The one on the right blocked with his scythe handle, locking Naruto's sword in place.

It became a battle of strength as Naruto tried to push his sword forward, into the man's neck. The man looked down at the shorter boy. Naruto raised his head to meet his veiled gaze, and to his surprise, the man stiffened.

"…SOLDIER…"

Naruto's eyes widened. "How do you…"

Naruto's eyes widened. He'd fought someone like this before…a scythe…white robes, dyed hair…yes… '_Amar…_'

"You're chosen?" Naruto whispered, keeping his gaze focused intently at that white veil. "Black Moon…"

The man made no noise, tilting his head, indicating his comrades to move in. Naruto disengaged, jumping back several feet at the three regrouped in front of him.

'_Black Moon's here already? Does that mean…_' Naruto twirled his sword around, thrusting it out threateningly. '_The war…is coming here?!_'

Yoko, seeing her chance, lunged at one of the men with their back turned. Leaping into the air, she pulled out her kunai. Diving at the man, she aimed at his throat. However, she was used to attacking with water, and her taijutsu was poor. The man whirled around, but at that point was too close to use his scythe.

Yoko landed in front of him, driving the kunai into his stomach. For a moment, it seemed like her attack landed home, and there was one less man in white to worry about. However, to her surprise, the knife stopped just a hair's width from his clothing. She scowled, looking up at the man.

Naruto took advantage of this moment, and leapt into the air, covering his left eye with his left hand and gripping his sword in his right. Two of the men were standing side-by-side. He flew in between them, kicking them both in the head. The other man turned around when he sensed the commotion, but Naruto had already landed, and with his giant sword cut him from toe-to-head.

It didn't kill him, but it tore his Aura Armor apart, which Naruto realized by reading his thoughts with his blue eye. Deactivating his eye behind his hands, he held his sword upside down behind his head while he flipped his left hand covering his eye forward, extending the handgun kept hidden under his sleeve, pointing it right at the veil. "Block this."

_BANG!!_

Naruto pulled the trigger, sending a bullet straight through the veil and out the other side. With his armor in shreds, he had no defense, and fell unceremoniously to the floor as Yoko side-stepped him.

Naruto turned and stood beside Yoko, who glanced at the strange device in Naruto's hand. Naruto put the tip of his sword in the ground as he hid his handgun up his sleeve once again, before grabbing his sword with both hands, ready for battle. Yoko pushed her curiosity out of her mind and clapped her hands together, ready to form seals using the water at their feet.

"Yoko…Naruto…stand down."

Yoko's eyes widened as she turned to a man emerging from a heap of gravel. Ryuunosuke stood, brushing himself off, turning his icy gaze towards the two survivors. "I'll handle this."

One of the men in white turned to the other. "He's alive…"

He glanced at Michiko, still groaning in a corner, then to Hotaka who had trouble standing, and then to Yoko, the only one still well enough to fight, whom had still received a few unwanted wounds.

Ryuunosuke glared, so coldly that it could freeze flame in an instant. "Messing with my family has one punishment." Icy blue Chakra began to pour from his body, barring his tee…his fangs.

"Death…"

**--With Cloud & Denzel—**

"A replacement?" Denzel questioned.

Cloud nodded. "Yes…although I'd rather not use him, if I can help it…but he's the only other one I can find."

"Is he that much trouble?"

"…You have no idea."

Denzel smiled, moving his rook to the side. "Still, this is the most likely way to end the war, right?"

"…I think…it might be the only." Cloud muttered. "But still…" Cloud moved one of his last remaining pieces.

"There're risks…" Denzel muttered. Taking one of Cloud's nine queens.

Cloud smirked. "Yes…but in the end, only on thing matters…" Cloud smirked, moving his last queen into position. "Checkmate."

Denzel's smile dropped as he stared at the board, then at Cloud, and repeated…for about fifteen seconds. "No way!"

Cloud smirked. "A king and queen…that's all I needed."

Denzel pouted. "No fair. I had all those men and I still lost."

"Looks good for us then." Cloud smirked.

Denzel sighed. "Yeah, but you lost all your other men…if this is what happens in the real war, that'd mean you're the only one left with the planet, right Cloud?"

Cloud made no response, looking downcast. Standing up, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box. "This box…is designed for tailed beast transpher. It's lined with Jenova cells. I'm trusting you to transport the fox to the generals. They'll know how to store it." Cloud ordered.

Denzel nodded, saluting. "Leave it to me sir." He chimed.

Cloud nodded, and pressed his palm to the black box. A loud roar of pain could be heard as Cloud forced the fox into the box by temporarily neutralizing the cells in the area his palm was placed on, allowing the spirit to enter. As soon as it was in, Cloud reactivated the cells, and removed his hand.

Cloud turned to Denzel and handed it to him. "Keep that safe. We can't afford to lose that."

"Aye aye, cap-i-tan!" Denzel joked. "Arr, and just what do ye plan te do, matey?"

"…I've got a mission for our fourth member."

Denzel's smile fell for the second time in that short time span. "I think I have something stupid in my ear. _Her_? _That_ nut job? You're giving _her _a job?!" Denzel panicked.

"She's loyal. She'll carry it out without a problem."

"Yeah, but…it's _her!_' It's not Arash or Naruto, it's _her_!!"

"Is that a problem?" Cloud asked.

"Well, no, I guess…but still, it's _her_!!"

Cloud sighed. "Denzel, you may not like her, but she's a powerful member of Kyusokai."

Denzel scoffed. "Yeah, kept off all records for your little 'black errands.'" He muttered.

"This one…isn't quite so black."

"Hm?"

"I'll tell you later." Cloud muttered, walking to the door. "Tell the Generals I'll meet them in a month. I'll tell Tifa you're taking a nap. That should give you about two hours before she comes knocking."

Denzel saluted, giving Cloud one last grin. "On it, master!"

Cloud nodded, walking out the door.

**--With Sasuke—**

Sasuke landed several feet behind Jin, letting the lightning blade in his hand sizzle out as he collapsed on one knee. He couldn't resist anymore. That last Chidori had taken the last of his Chakra to perform. He couldn't even launch a single fireball anymore. And the pain in his shoulder only continued to increase with each passing second.

Sasuke glanced as his shoulder under his collar, and with no surprise did he see the curse mark spreading as its burning fire-like lines continued to mark his body. Growling, he managed to stop it from spreading any further, but he didn't have the strength to contain it.

"You bastard…" Sasuke's eyes widened as a dangerous voice, something like a growl combined with a scream. "Damn you…look what you've done to me!!"

Sasuke whirled around, and watched as Jin shakily stood up, eyes…or rather, eye, glaring at him with burning hatred. The left side of his face was…well, it was completely destroyed.

Sasuke's eyes widened in realization. As he'd lunged at him with Chidori, his curse mark began to act up. Until then, he'd been able to predict Jin's movements and keep his attack aimed right at his head. Then, when his seal began to pulse, he blinked just before it hit. '_Jin must have moved at the last second…_'

Still, Jin was in pretty bad shape. His left cheek was slashed open, revealing the inside of his mouth, and anything above that was pretty much destroyed. His hair was fried, part of his nose was missing, and his eye had been destroyed.

Jin growled as blood poured out of the left side of his face, but that wasn't what angered him. "My eye…you destroyed my eye! My precious eye! How am I supposed to enjoy young death when I'm half-blind?! YOU BASTARD!!"

Jin picked up both chains connected to the spinners, and whipped them, sending the spinners into the air, before yanking them as hard as he could to the side. Sasuke tried to leap out of the way, but found he didn't even have the strength to move. The chains connected to the spinners struck him in the chest, forcing him back onto the tree trunk in the middle of the room, trapped there by the chains. The spinners made their way around the tree, adding another layer of chains to bind Sasuke. The spinners embedded themselves in the tree after their chains had wrapped themselves tightly around the tree and Sasuke, having traveled around it one and a half times.

Jin walked up to Sasuke, reaching into his sound ninja robe and pulling out a whip. "You did a bad, bad thing, little boy." He gave the whip a test-crack, shattering one of the few remaining potted plants. "Do you know what we do to bad little boys where I come from?" He raised his whip while cocking his head, grinning madly, as if wondering what would happen if he continued. Combined with his half-ruined face, he was truly a menacing sight. "…We punish them!!"

Sasuke bit his lip so hard he drew blood the first time he was whipped. It slashed across his chest, just above where one of the chains was wrapped. He did the same for the second, which hit his lower leg, but the third hit his cheek, and he cried in pain as blood began to pour from the wound.

Jin continued to whip him like the madman that he was, laughing maniacally every time the boy cried. "More more more!!" This was Jin's guilty pleasure, torturing his prey before the kill, preparing them for the main event. Then he would pull out a knife and stab it into their soft, tender flesh. He would do it slowly, then faster, faster, and faster! All leading up to the grand finale, the final release.

Sasuke gave out one last cry as Jin whipped him across the face, before lowering his head, unable to take it any longer. Jin grinned, wrapping his whip up. "Well, I suppose our time together is at an end." He said, completely oblivious to the pain he should be feeling.

Jin put his whip away and pulled out a shining silver-plated knife, with a handle of pure gold, sheathed in ivory. Slowly and lovingly, he removed the knife from its sheath, marveling at its beauty. He brought it to his mouth and ran his tongue all along the edge of the knife, savoring every moment.

Sasuke kept his head low as he heard Jin approach him. He made no motion to move, as if resigning to his fate. '_It's over…this is as far as I can go…I'm sorry, mother…father…everyone…I can't fulfill my promise…_'

"_Shut up, bastard!!"_

Sasuke's head shot up. "Naruto?!"

Jin grinned with glee. "He's gone delusional. Will he whimper? Will he laugh? Let's find out!"

Yes, Sasuke was delusional. Right beside Jin stood Uzumaki Naruto, in his old orange jumpsuit, crossing his arms, looking like an idiot. _"You're the great rookie-of-the-year?! Don't make me laugh! The Sasuke I know would take down a mountain if he had to!!"_

Then, an image of Sakura appeared on the other side of Jin. _"Sasuke-kun…didn't you say you had an ambition? You wanted to revive the Uchiha clan, right?"_

"_Yeah, and don't forget, you still gotta kill your brother and avenge your clan, right? How can you do that if you're dead?!"_

Sasuke's eyes dropped, filling with sadness. "I can't…I'm still so…weak…"

Naruto growled. _"Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!! Are you really all bark? What happened to your bite?!"_

"_Sasuke-kun, don't give up! Please, stand up!"_

Sasuke was about to respond, when he heard the flipping of a page to his side. He looked over his shoulder, and further down the trunk of the tree stood Kakashi, leaning against the tree, reading the latest Make-Out-Paradise.

"_The power I gave you…was to be used to protect your friends…Maybe I was wasting my time on you, if you can't even do that."_

"But…two Chidori's…I'm at my limit…"

"_Limits are made to be broken." Kakashi muttered, turning the page._

"_Yeah! Remember me? Limit Break!"_

"_Please, Sasuke-kun, come back to us!"_

"_You still have much to do. If you don't get up, then this man may come and take everything from you, just like all those years ago…"_

Sasuke looked at Jin, and trembled in fear as he slowly morphed into his older brother.

Uchiha Itachi.

Itachi kneeled, holding a kunai knife, toying with it as he stared at Sasuke. _Foolish little brother…if this is the limit of your desire to kill me…if this is as far as your hatred can go…then this is as far as will go."_

"_He's right, Sasuke-kun."_

"_But…that isn't all you have, is it Sasuke?"_

"_Yeah, bastard! What else's under all that chicken-butt-hair? Huh?"_

Sasuke's lips parted in thought, and slowly, he looked at his hands, elbows still bendable, as the bindings didn't go that low. "What else drives me…?" He flexed them for a moment, before holding them open, calmly, in front of him, as of holding something so fragile the slightest vibration would shatter it.

"Love…my new…family…" Sasuke muttered. Itachi seemed to pause, eyes widening in amusement. "I have…a new family, and friends…to drive me forward…" Sasuke muttered.

"With one hand, I'll fight to avenge the old…and with the other, I will fight to protect the new. Both are mine, my family and friends…I will never let you take them away from me again!"

Itachi glared at Sasuke, scoffing. _"And you think…that is enough?"_

Naruto cupped his hands and shouted. _"Hey, Mr. Rookie-of-the-year, I trusted you to beat this guy! I trusted you to come back to us, remember?!"_

Sasuke smirked, looking up. "Hey, I haven't lost yet, idiot."

Naruto smirked. _"That's the Sasuke I know!"_

"_Get up, Sasuke-kun! Fight!"_

"_Get up, Sasuke!"_

"_And take this guy down!!"_

Itachi stared at Sasuke, narrowing his eyes even further. _"You think…you can beat me?"_

Sasuke smirked. "You know it."

Meanwhile, Jin stared on, highly amused by the boy's words. Kneeling right in front of Sasuke, he continued toying with his knife. "Most people start to cry when I come in for the kill…this is much better!"

Suddenly, Sasuke's head drooped again. "Did…he just pass out?" Jin tilted his head in curiosity.

"Heh…not yet."

Jin grinned wickedly. "Good! I was beginning to worry that I wouldn't get to see the life leave your eyes!"

Sasuke smirked, feeling the pulsing on the back of his left shoulder increase with each passing second. "…And you never will."

Jin looked confused for a moment, before smiling madly. "Oh yeah? Let's test that statement!" He roared as he raised his knife.

Sasuke bent his elbows, grabbing the various chains tied around his body.

'_Itachi…I have a new goal…_'

His hands trembled as he pulled all the chains together, holding all four between his two hands.

'_I'm going to kill you…to avenge my family…and before you ever take anything away from me again._'

Jin raised the knife even higher, before finally pausing in midair.

'_But first…_'

Jin grinned as he prepared for the joy of watching the life leave the boy's body.

'…_My team's going for some victory ramen._'

Jin froze as he noticed something on the back of the boy's left shoulder underneath his collar. Curious, he flicked his knife into the boy's collar, ripping it open so he could see inside.

He glanced at the three-tomoe mark surrounded by a blood seal. However, the blood seal was…jiggling. "What the…"

The jiggling seal cracked, and was soon overwhelmed when the flame-like marks zoomed across Sasuke's body like fire. Jin stepped back as Sasuke growled, struggling against the chains. Sasuke roared as he tugged them as hard as he could, desperately trying to free himself. However, Jin kept a tight hold on the chains, and the spinners were dug in on the other side, showing no signs of moving.

But that wasn't Sasuke's goal.

With one last mighty scream, Sasuke pulled the chains apart, snapping them in half with one final pull. He shakily stood, ignoring the damage done to his body as he glared at the shocked Jin.

"I look forward…to watching the life leave your eyes."

Jin glared, gritting his teeth at this statement. He whipped out his whip once more and lashed at Sasuke, but Sasuke grabbed it as soon as it was within reach, and tugged it out of his hands. Once he had it, he ripped it apart, piece by piece by piece, until it was nothing more than a pile of one-foot lengths of rope.

"The seal…is growing stronger…sending signals to my brain, telling me how to unlock it…how to use it…to kill you!"

The flame-like curse marks expanded, until his entire body was the color of dark mud. A black cross-like mark appeared across his whipped face, while his hair extended down his back, growing wild and untamed.

Jin growled, watching as energy poured out from the seal through his one good eye. '_That Chakra…its energy pattern is way different from a normal human's. Who the…What the hell is he?!_'

Jin growled, raising his knife for the killing blow, and charged at Sasuke, his battle-cry echoing across the battered walls of the room. Sasuke looked down, smirking.

'_Mother…Father…everyone, it looks like I we won't be meeting for a long time…._'

Jin's eye widened as a black hand-like wing shot out from Sasuke's back and swiped away the knife, and was so shocked he failed to note the second wing sprouting out of his body, slapping him across the room.

Sasuke walked up to him, watching him struggle to get up. "This is the end."

Sasuke used his wings to soar over to Jin, and kicked him high into the air with the technique copied from Lee. Jin crashed through the leaves and glass ceiling, soaring up into the air. Sasuke flapped his wings, and followed him up into the sky.

Once he was in reach, he punched Jin up into the air again, and again, and again. Jin was nothing more than a sitting duck as he soared higher and higher into the sky. Finally, after they were over a hundred feet up, Sasuke flapped his wings and soared high above Jin, letting him begin his fall.

Flipping through a few very familiar hand seals, he gripped his left wrist as Chidori began to form in his arms. However, this Chidori wasn't made up of his own energy. He was channeling the curse seal's power into it, giving it a dark color. Sasuke smirked as the sound of screeching, not chirping, filled the air, tearing Jin's eardrums apart.

"Habataku Chidori!"

Sasuke flapped his wings, and forced himself down at an incredible speed, soaring right at Jin. Jin, nothing more than a rag-doll in the air without his weapons, could only watch as the black blade of lightning approached him. The sound got more and more unbearable, until he finally covered his ears with his hands, but even that didn't eliminate all of the sound.

Finally, in an instant, the attack connected, tearing right through Jin's stomach and out the other end. Jin's eyes widened as his mouth dropped, unable to believe what was happening. Sasuke's speed forced both shinobi to descend rapidly back into the room, and a deafening crash filled the air as they landed. Scattered pieces of bark and leaves flew out of the shattered glass, falling back to the earth.

Dust filled the room, along with dirt, pottery shrapnel, leaves, plants, and various other debris. It took a whole minute for the dust to finally settle enough for one to see the results.

The tree in the center of the room had been cleaved in two by Sasuke's mighty attack, looking like two cards that had stood together until they fell in opposite directions. On one of the halves lay Sasuke, panting for breath, returning to his normal state.

Meanwhile, Jin lay on the other half, which was quickly becoming coated in blood from the gaping hole in his stomach. Jin was breathing hard, the open wound in his cheek allowing him to breathe even with his jaw closed. Jin stared up at the clouds, unable to move his body anymore.

'_Di-did I just…loose?_' Jin muttered.

Suddenly, Jin saw a blue-green strand of energy heading up to the sky. Then another, and another, and soon hundreds of blue-green strands were heading up to the sky.

"…Life…energy…" Jin muttered, before his eyes widened in realization. "No…" Jin looked down at his body, and his fear was confirmed as reality.

Those strands of life…were his.

Jin's mouth slacked, watching the strands continue to leave him through his one remaining eye.

"Don't…go…"

The life energy paid him no mind, and above him, the strands that were high enough began to gather, and descend back into the planet.

"Don't…leave me…please…"

Jin watched as the strands began to enter the earth, and out of his reach forever. Eyes widening in fear, he began to scream, moving his body with pure will.

"Don't go! Don't disappear, please! I don't wanna die!" Jin tried to grab the energy and force it back into his body, but to no avail. Then he tried to cover his body to stop it from leaving, but once again, he met failure.

Sasuke turned to Jin. "You used to love that, didn't you? Watching people die…" Sasuke smirked, looking up at the clouds. "…I can't imagine a more fitting end."

"NOOOOO!! STOP IT, STOP IT, ANYONE, STOP IT! HEEEEEEEEELP!!"

"Why not quiet down…and enjoy the final show?"

Jin began to flail violently, desperation setting in. "MOMMA! PAPPA! DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE, HELP! PLEEEEEEEAAAASE!!"

Suddenly, Jin's face went blank. He watched sadly as the last stream of life energy began to leave, feeling darkness slowly set in. Everything went cold, and he stared up at the sky one last time, a tear building up in his eye.

"Momma…pappa…I'm sorry…"

The whirling eye went dead as the man went limp, the final string of life rising out of his body, before falling back to the earth, returning to the planet.

Sasuke didn't watch, he just kept his gaze up at the sky. "I won, dobe."

**--With Ryuunosuke—**

"Level five!!"

The two Chosen took a step back as the icy blue Chakra began to take form around the enraged man, cloaking him in an icy blue glow. Neither Chosen wanted to approach him, with him looking so feral.

Without warning, Ryuunosuke rushed at the man closest to him, throwing a bone-shattering punch, cracking the handle of his scythe.

The icy blue glow began to fade, gathering around his lower back. Then, five icy blue serpent-like tails, capped with thin white ends, burst out from his tailbone, four of them wrapping around the unfortunate Chosen whose scythe had been broken.

Ryuunosuke looked on at him with furious eyes, ready to rip him to pieces. But he held back, feeling the pressure build inside him for his level five attack.

The Chosen who'd been captured struggled, but one tail was wrapped around each limb, offering no room for escape. He took a deep breath, holding it in for a moment, feeling the icy chill begin to spread into his lungs. Taking one last look at the chosen, he leaned forward.

'_Ice fire!_'

Ryuunosuke breathed out releasing a powerful blue flame from his mouth. The flame engulfed the captured Chosen, and spread in a line towards the end of the room, where it crashed into a wall. Ryuunosuke kept up his blue flamethrower, making sure everything inside it was good and dead.

When he halted the flame, breathing in once more, nothing was on fire. Instead, the Chosen he was holding was frozen solid, every drop of water inside him crystallized, turned to ice. Various icicles formed in the air from water turned to ice in the air. The wall where the fire had hit was covered in it, and looking extremely fragile.

Ryuunosuke smirked, releasing the frozen Chosen, letting him drop to the floor, and crash into thousands of pieces.

Ryuunosuke smirked, looking to where the last one, only to notice his sudden absence.

"Ryuunosuke-Sensei! He's running!" Yoko shouted.

Indeed he was. He was heading to the part of the wall struck by the ice fire. He leapt up, and brought his scythe down, destroying the damaged wall. Looking at his work, he ran out the door, into the streets of Konoha.

Ryuunosuke cursed, and prepared to run after him, but was stopped by Hotaka's groan. Turning to his fallen student and adopted son, he cursed, letting his tails disperse back into icy blue chakra, which began swirling around him. Slowly, the Chakra began to disappear, leaving a panting Ryuunosuke.

Ryuunosuke limped over to Hotaka, turning to Naruto. "Naruto-kun…please get Michiko…"

Naruto nodded, strapping his sword to his back, and walking over to where Michiko lay on the floor. She had hardly moved since Naruto joined the fight, keeping her head down the whole time.

"You alright?" Naruto asked.

"I'm fine." She grunted. Naruto was slightly taken aback. That wasn't exactly a friendly response.

"Well, here. Let me help you up." Naruto offered her his hand.

She slapped it away. "I said I'm fine!" She said, a little more forcefully this time.

She forced herself up, mostly out of pure willpower, and stumbled over to her swords. Picking them up, she sheathes them and walked past Naruto, avoiding his gaze at all costs.

Naruto watched her stumble back to the others, wondering what was going on. '_What was that for?_' He asked himself.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, bandaging her arm. "Get over her!"

Naruto nodded, running over to meet the others just as Michiko arrived. She looked like she was well enough on her own, and still fit for combat. Hotaka lay on Sakura's lap, lips moving without sound. "Hotaka's mumbling something. Something about Sasuke."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What is it?"

"Where is he?" Yoko asked.

"…He stayed behind fighting a guy named Jin so I could come help you." Naruto muttered.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Hotaka, is Sasuke alright? What's going on?"

The room went silent as Hotaka tried to voice his thoughts. "Sasuke…won…"

"I knew it!" Naruto shouted with glee.

"Oh thank goodness!" Sakura sighed in relief.

"Good." Yoko muttered.

"Expected that from Sasuke." Michiko commented.

"Wait…Hotaka's trying to say more…" Ryuunosuke muttered.

The group went silent as Hotaka tried to speak.

"Sasuke…won…but, he…"

**--With Kakashi—**

"…I'm sorry I wasn't there…forgive me." Kakashi muttered, bowing to the body of the fallen Hayate.

Kakashi had not disturbed the body in fear of damaging any evidence. '_This wasn't a normal kill…'_ Kakashi glanced towards Hayate's swords, sliced in two. '_Not normal at all…_'

What scared Kakashi was how it was a perfectly clean slice. No ordinary man could do that. It would require incredible strength to cleave a blade in two. That alone made this case so interesting.

Kakashi ran his thumb along his kunai, releasing a small river of blood. Flipping through a few hand seals, he placed his palm on the ground. '_Summoning…_'

The area beneath his palm filled with smoke as he withdrew his hand. The smoke began to disperse, a tiny dog with a Konoha headband and a blue cape sat on the ground.

"Yo, Kakashi."

"Pakkun, I'm going to need you to trace Hayate's blood. Can you do that for me?"

Pakkun grimaced. "Kakashi…scent I can do, but blood…"

"Whoever killed Hayate must have his blood on his weapon. It's the only way we can track him. Please, Pakkun…"

Pakkun grimaced, looking at the man in the pool of blood. "…I don't like this, Kakashi."

"Pakkun, we have no choice."

Pakkun gulped, slowly approaching the blood. "I'm sorry, Pakkun." Kakashi whispered. '_The W.R.O…Naruto…Orochimaru's attack…are these things really connected?_'

**--With Sasuke (Five minutes earlier)—**

"I won, dobe."

Just as Sasuke uttered these words, the door was forced off its hinges, soaring into the broken wall at the other end of the hall. Sasuke turned his head, cursing under his breath. He was in no condition to fight anymore.

Through the broken doorway came a man, wrapped in a cheap brown cloak, his hood covering his head. He wore a tattered tan scarf around his face. The only part of him that was visible was his nose, as his eyes were shadowed.

The man walked into the room, ignoring Sasuke completely, and headed towards one of the still-standing desks. He opened a drawer and pulled out a clay bowl and a crushing pin used for grinding and mixing ingredients.

"I'm guessing you won't come peacefully." His young voice held no malice, merely boredom. It was rather low, sharp, and to the point.

"What're you talking about?" Sasuke muttered.

"I've been hired to kidnap you." He said bluntly. He grabbed several key plants from the floor and took various pieces from them, placing them in the bowl.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Get away from me…"

"Nothing personal, kid." He muttered as he began grinding the various fauna together, mashing them together with incredible skill.

The man walked over to Sasuke and forced open his mouth, shoving it down his throat. He clamped Sasuke's mouth shut, but the boy refused to swallow. Groaning, he pinched his nose as well. Sasuke tried to struggle, but he was out of strength.

"If you wanna breathe, just swallow it. It'll put you to sleep and heal your wounds, nothing more."

Sasuke, seeing little choice, swallowed the odd concoction in one quick gulp. The kidnapper removed his hands from Sasuke's face, after which he immediately gasped for air.

Sasuke tilted his head towards the stranger, feeling something odd rising in his throat. "Why…?"

"They want you alive."

Sasuke's eyes fluttered. He began to feel his eyes falling. The stuff worked fast. "No…why?"

Sasuke's eyelids felt like they were weighed down by weights as they snapped shut. Just before he lost consciousness, he felt the man lift him over his shoulder.

"The pay was good."

**--With Team Ryuunosuke/Naruto/Sakura--**

Naruto froze as Hotaka uttered the word 'taken.' He couldn't believe it.

Sakura was in shock as well. "No…that can't be…it has to be a lie!" She cried.

"It's no lie." Kakashi strode into the destroyed room, with Pakkun at his heels. "Sasuke's gone."

"No…" Yoko muttered.

"What're we gonna do?!" Michiko growled, clenching her fists on her lap.

Naruto shot up, gripping the handle of his sword. "Well, it's obvious, isn't it? Let's go hunt the guy down!"

Kakashi shook his head. "There's more to it."

Ryuunosuke narrowed his eyes. "Meaning…?"

Kakashi bowed his head. "Hayate's been killed."

Naruto's eyes widened. "The proctor…"

Michiko looked downcast, gripping her pants in rage. "It can't be…he was the best swordsman in the village…"

"…And then there's that man in white that escaped…I'm worried about him…" Ryuunosuke placed his hand on his chin in thought.

Kakashi closed his eye in thought. '_…Alright, it's risky, but we have no choice._'

"Listen up, everyone! Here's the plan! We'll split into three groups and chase down the three targets!"

"!!" Was everyone's reaction.

"One team will rescue Sasuke and capture his kidnapper. Another will find the man who killed Hayate and capture him. The last will do the same to this man in white. Understood?"

"If that's what you order, we have to respect your command." Yoko stated.

"…You think we can do this?" Naruto asked.

"We have no choice…we can't wait for backup. So, who's going with who? I'm going after the man who killed Hayate, since Pakkun here already has his scent, and he's obviously powerful if he took him out in one blow, so…"

"I'm going after Sasuke!" Sakura shouted.

"Sakura…are you sure?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura clenched her fist, hardening her gaze. "…I'm…going to be useful this time." Sakura announced.

Kakashi nodded. "Alright, and who will go with her…?" To Kakashi's surprise, Naruto lowered his head, trembling. "Naruto, are you alright?"

Naruto shook his head. "That guy in white…I know I'm going to go after him…" Sakura looked at Naruto, feeling slightly betrayed. "Because…I've fought guys like him before. I know how to track him, and I know how to beat him, but…" Naruto slammed his fist into the ground. "I wanna go after Sasuke too, damnit!"

Ryuunosuke sighed, scooting over to Naruto. "I'll help get Sasuke back. Just leave it to us. We'll bring him back."

Naruto looked up at Ryuunosuke, then to Sakura. "…You promise?"

Sakura nodded, giving him a small smile. "Just leave it to us, Naruto."

Kakashi nodded. "Good! I'm glad I could sort that out."

'_But you didn't do anything…_' They all thought simultaneously.

"Ah, and if you know how to fight these guys, between Michiko and Yoko, who should go with you?"

"I can take one of these guys. Let the other go help Sasuke!"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Didn't we already have a talk about acting alone?"

Naruto gulped, nodding quickly. He glanced between the two, then pointed at Michiko. "She uses slashing-type weapons. That's the best way to fight these guys." He glanced at Yoko. "No offense."

"None taken."

Kakashi gave them a happy look. "And that teams me up with Yoko. Any objections?"

To their surprise, Hotaka raised a shaky hand. "I'll go…"

Ryuunosuke shook his head. "No. You're still wounded. I'm hard-pressed to let Michiko go in her condition, but you can hardly move. Just make a cocoon and hide."

Hotaka smirked. "How do you plan…to track down Sasuke?"

Ryuunosuke raised his arm, as if to explain, but soon went limp.

"I'm not saying…I'll fight, but…I can find him…for you."

Ryuunosuke bit his lip, but nodded. "…Fine, but if there's a fight, you hide in a cocoon, got it?"

"…Fine." He gasped.

Kakashi nodded. "Good, then we're all agreed. Let's get going."

Kakashi walked over to Yoko, with Pakkun at his heels. Ryuunosuke kneeled next to Hotaka as he slowly climbed onto his back. After he was secure, they nodded to Sakura, who was standing next to them. Naruto walked over to Michiko, who for some reason shot him an icy glare, before turning away. Naruto froze for a moment, but decided to let it go for now.

Kakashi turned to the two other groups, nodding. "Everyone…good luck. Let's all come home alive!"

With that, the three teams leapt off to their respective missions, leaving nothing but a bit of scattered dust behind.

**--With Cloud—**

Cloud stalked down to one of the lowest levels installed in the facility. He'd warped back to the main W.R.O. Branch in Gaia, and was now heading for 'her' room.

Cloud had kept her behind red tape for a long time, giving her all the jobs he didn't want others to know about. She was Kyusokai's black operations agent, one that less than a half-dozen people knew existed.

Cloud walked down the spiraling staircase, ignoring the three annoying flies that chose to bug him. He let it go. He had more important things to worry about.

And before he knew it, he was at the bottom of the staircase. At the bottom was nothing more than a steel door marked with a large red 'II' running the length of the door.

Brushing the flies aside, Cloud looked towards the small keypad to the right of the door and entered the password. Next, he slid his I.D. card through, performed the fingerprint scan and cornea scan, along with the voice recognition test. "Cloud." He stated smoothly, and the green light went bright.

The door slowly hissed open, whizzing to the side.

_Bababang!!_

Cloud stood still as the three flies buzzing around him were all smashed by bullets, sending them flying into the wall.

"What was that for?" he asked.

In the center of the room stood a figure wrapped in the Kyusokai cloak, with a silver cat embroidered on the back. In her leather-gloved hand she held a handgun. Nothing special, just a plain, unmodified handgun. Lowering it, she turned around. "Flies."

Cloud rubbed his temples. "You could give me some warning. It's always the same."

"You're used to it." She stated bluntly.

Cloud sighed. "May I come in?"

"Yes."

"Can you put down the gun?"

"No."

"Saw that coming." Cloud muttered as he walked into the room.

While it was her room, it looked more like something you'd find in an army base. '_Well, technically, it is._' The walls were lined with targets, from human mannequins to plain, black-and-white targets to toy planes flying around the ceiling. Everything was a target. And what was scary was that even though she fired thousands of rounds a day and never changed her targets, every bulls eye in the room had one bullet hole. Just. One.

In the center lay a large workbench filled with parts for working on guns, from extra springs to spare metal that could be shaped into guns. It had everything that could possibly fill a gun fanatic's wet dream. However, despite it being a room, there was no bed. In fact, the only home appliances this place held was a toilet, sink and shower in the corner, along with a small fridge full of food and drink in a slot under the workbench.

Cloud walked over to her steel workbench, where she pulled out the only chair for him. He took it, knowing she never used it.

The girl removed her hood, revealing a young, pretty face. Despite her youthful features, she had a neutral and uncaring look about her. She had focused black eyes that seemed to never move, twitch or blink. Her dark purple hair was cut short, save for her bangs, which were tied into two thin but long ponytails each nearly a foot in length on the sides of her face, which she then kept tucked behind her ears, letting the remaining hair run down her back to around her shoulder blades.

"What?"

Cloud smirked, placing his hand on his chin. "I've got another mission for you."

Next Time: The Death of Team 7

**--Omake—**

Hooray for Hair Cement

The Genin lay panting as they stood against the army of Samurai.

Kiba: "There's just too many!"

Hinata: "Wh-what do we do?"

Naruto: grins "There's only one thing to do…CLOUD!!"

Cloud: Appears next to Naruto "What?"

Naruto: "Neji, stun him!"

Neji: "Right!"

Cloud: "Huwaa?!"

Neji: "Juken!"

Cloud went stiff as a board. Naruto grabbed his feet and raised him above his head like a sword.

The first samurai came charging in, but Naruto thrust Cloud out, his spiky hair driving right through the man's armor.

Naruto: "Sword of spikiness, let's do it!"

Cloud: "Naru…to…Bahamut…will…eat…well…"

Naruto: "DIEDIEDIE!!"

Samurai: "NOOOOOOOO!!"

Sasuke: "Grr…I will not loose to him. KAKASHI!"

Kakashi: Appears next to Sasuke. "What?"

Sasuke: "Neji, freeze!"

Neji: "Juken."

Kakashi: "Ehh?!"

Kakashi goes as stiff as a board. Sasuke raises him and plunges his spiky hair at an enemy.

Kakashi: "NOOO!! HE GOT BLOOD ON MY PORN!!"

Naruto/Sasuke: "MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

Samurai: "Oh my spleen!"

"That's not supposed to bend that way!"

"AAUG-Oh wait, I'm fi-AAAAAAAAUGH!!"

"Hey guys, I just won a free trip to wave country! Lets cele-NOOOOOOOOO!!"

"Sweet! That ticket's mine!"

"NO, MINE!!"

"NO, MINE!!"

"MI-bleh!!"

"MIIINE!!"

"MIIIIIIINE!!"

"III LIIIIIIIKE SHOOOOUTIIIIING!!"

And thus the genocide began.

Choji: "Uhh, should we do something?"

Shikamaru: "zzz…"

Sakura: "He's asleep."

Hotaka: "What should we do with him?"

Tenten: "…Anyone got any explosive tags?"

Naruto/Sasuke: "EEEEHAHAHAHAH YEEEEEHAHAHAHA YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

Moral of the story: Hooray for hair cement!! (Available now for only 20(0) payments of 39.95! Order now!)

_Disclaimer: This product is no longer being sold due to an outstanding debt we now have over lawsuits over hair cement accidents. This includes, but is not limited to, impaling, slicing, bank robberies, mutilation, runny noses, bleeding of the mouth/ear/nose/eyes/anus/genitals, diarrhea, testicular cancer, loss of hearing, loss of sight, heart attacks, traffic tickets, and frat boys shoving parking cones up your ass. Therefore all money received shall not be refunded even though we shall not send the hair cement to the customer. But since nobody reads this crappy disclaimer anyways we can all just laugh in your faces. Hahaha. Hahaha. Hahaha. They actually fell for it. Hahaha. Hahaha. What a bunch of desperate losers. Hahaha. Hahaha. I shall now go to laugh as I roll around in my money bath._

**--Notes--**

That was a long one. It may upset you, but this is only half of what I intended to write. I had to split it up again when I began to feel overwhelmed. So, this is what we have so far. The other half I plan to start working on tomorrow, so we'll see when it's done.

I have to say that I really enjoyed writing the fight between Jin and Sasuke. I hadn't planned on making it like that, but I wanted to spend some time on Sasuke before he got kidnapped, so there you have it. I liked writing about Jin, because…I dunno why. I just thought it was fun to write about a psycho. Though, I gave a hint to his reasons with his last words, though it isn't much. You can use your imagination for the rest. His weapons were all meant to give him a different way to enjoy his opponent's death, the ball-and-chain for if he wanted to crush them, spinners for if he wanted to slice them and watch blood fly, whip if he wanted to torture them, and the knife to finish worthy opponents off slowly. Also, when he imagined how he'd stab Sasuke, if sex crossed your mind, you're right. Jin sees this like most people see sex: relieving, pleasurable, and necessary.

I liked writing that part so much that the fight with the three Chosen was actually boring to write. If you felt it sucked, then I agree with you. I just wrote it to get it out of the way. I did try to make it good to read, though.

Remember the man that killed Hayate? You can probably recognize him if you've ever played Crisis Core. I won't be including the actual plot from Crisis Core, but yes, he is apart of this story.

The opening sequence is something I thought up out of nowhere. Every candle is connected to one's life, and if the candle goes it, it means they've died. It just came to me when I was writing the opening, and I thought it went pretty well.

Also, last chapter I received a few comments about how I removed the fox from Naruto. The main reason I did this was…well, he's a SOLDIER, with a split-personality, an eye technique and a giant sword. Anything more seemed like overkill, and I didn't want to make him a god, so I removed the fox so as not to overwhelm him too much. Also, it's an important plot point in the story, as everyone still thinks he has it. Also, with Dark Naruto in there as well, having the fox would make his mind awfully crowded.

I've also been told this isn't a dark Naruto story. You're right. It's a light/dark Naruto story, and I did change that on the summary. He does have two personalities, after all. The reason why will be revealed soon, so until then.

I hope the omake didn't suck. This one's been in my head for a while now. Seriously, both Cloud and Kakashi's hair seem to be stuck in place…it's scary. If Cloud's ever working on his bike, if he leans down too far, has he ever popped a tire? And to use Kakahsi as a spear…

Here's the Jutsu:

Sennin Goroshi-One Thousand Years of Pain

Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu-Fire Release: Fireball Technique

Habataku Chidori-Flapping One Thousand Birds

That's all for this one. I hope you liked it. Reviews are appreciated.

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


End file.
